Senior Lieutenant Colonel Tran Phuc Thinh, head of the Environmental Police Department of Nghe An Police, told the media that the tigers were being temporarily kept at the Muong Thanh Dien Lam ecological tourist site in Dien Chau district.

The tigers were transported to the Muong Thanh Dien Lam ecological tourist site.

Mr. Tran Van Hai, Deputy Director of Muong Thanh Dien Lam Eco-tourism site, told VietNamNet that 14 adult tigers caught by the police in Do Thanh commune were transported to his tourist site on August 4.

"Five tigers were dead. The main cause has not been determined yet because it may be related to the process of raising, capturing, or transporting," Hai said.

“The remaining nine tigers show no signs of abnormality. We do not know anything about the three remaining tigers,” he added.

According to information provided by Senior Lieutenant Colonel Tran Phuc Thinh, besides the five dead tigers at the eco-tourism site, three tigers that were moved to other places also died.

Why did 8 adult tigers die?

Lực lượng Công an Nghệ An xác nhận có 8 cá thể hổ chết bất thường

To capture the 17 tigers kept in captivity in Nghe An, relevant agencies had to use anesthetics, tie their legs and put the tigers in an iron cage to be transported by trucks. However, the cause of deaths of the eight tigers is unknown.

Nguyen Van Binh, head of the Legal Division of the Nghe An Provincial Forest Protection Department, said that specialized agencies organize monthly inspections but they had not detected tigers in captivity. The 17 tigers in captivity were found by the Nghe An Police.

“To take the tigers out of the cage, veterinarians had to use anesthetic. The Forest Protection Department was only summoned to witness, coordinate and monitor in necessary cases," Binh said.

Senior Lieutenant Colonel Tran Phuc Thinh, head of the Environmental Police Department of Nghe An Provincial Police, said that the investigation of illegal farming of tigers in Do Thanh commune started in 2020. After collecting enough evidence, the police decided to finish the case on August 4, discovering 17 tigers raised by two households.

Regarding the eight dead tigers, Thinh said that they are considered evidence, so the tigers are being stored in the freezer for further investigation.

Thinh said that whether the anesthetic process was related to the death of 8 tigers has yet to be determined.

Nguyen Van Thai, Director of the Save Vietnam’s Wildlife (SVW), said that the death of tigers during the rescue process was an unexpected event. The most important thing in wildlife protection is to arrest wildlife traffickers and those who trade and raise wild animals in captivity.

According to Thai, the rescued tigers cannot be released back to nature because they have been kept in captivity for a long time and their ability to hunt in the wild and survive is has been affected.

On August 6, Save Vietnam’s Wildlife awarded a total of VND90 million to the Department of Environmental Police of Nghe An Province and several individuals involved in the rescue of the 17 tigers.

Quoc Huy

17 tigers illegally caged in Nghe An

The police agency of the central province of Nghe An on August 4 discovered 17 tigers illegally raised by two households.