B.R Restaurant on Nguyen Thi Dinh street of Buon Ma Thuot City is one of the best known restaurants offering wildlife meat. 

“We have a lot of specialties made of wildlife meat, including mink, snake, turtle and trionychid turtle. The meat is fresh,” a worker at the restaurant told reporters. 

He recommended that one weasel weighing 2 kilos would be enough to make four dishes for a group of five people.

He led reporters to the kitchen, where two men were slaughtering a weasel. “We only offer fresh meat made of the animals we catch in the forests. There is no frozen meat here,” one of the two men said.

Ignoring the call to protect wildlife and the warning about punishment of wildlife traffickers, numerous restaurants and tourism sites serving wild animal meat have opened in Dak Lak province.

Pointing to the weasel they were slaughtering, he said: “The weasel is 2.7 kilos. We have just cut its throat. Do you want it?”

As the reporters did not answer, the man suggested they should order turtle instead. “Its wonderful, but expensive, VND6 million per kilo, which is affordable only to the rich,” he said.

While the man was talking to reporters, another man came, introducing himself as the owner of the restaurant. 

“Besides weasel, snake and turtle, we also have many other kinds of meat, such as varan for VND600,000 per kilo, live porcupine for VND500,000. There are many kinds of snakes priced from VND500,000 to VND1 million. We have cobra (Ophiophagus Hannah) for VND1.2 million per kilo,” he said.

“Or maybe you like pangolin? If you want it, you need to place an order in advance,” he added.

At another restaurant called C.S on Mai Hac De street, the reporters asked salesmen to recommend luxurious specialties.

“If you have a lot of money, you can order pangolin, VND3.5 million per kilo,” a worker said.

“Our restaurant is a little far from the center, but our food is special. The price here is just half as much as the price in HCMC, while it is fresher,” he said. “Only after clients choose live animals will we begin slaughtering.”

While wildlife meat is processed and served at restaurants, wildlife horn, nails and feathers are sold at souvenir shops. 

Rhinoceros horns, tiger's nails, elephant tail feathers and elephant tusks are available at many shops on Phan Boi Chau and Phan Chu Trinh streets of Buon Ma Thuot City. 

The sellers at the shops said that those who have horns, nails and feathers of the strong wild animals will be healthy and have good luck.

RELATED NEWS

Wildlife in the biggest danger ever

Rare animals released back into the wild

Thanh Mai