Timely reports made by people have helped rescue many wildlife animals, said Director of Education for Nature Vietnam Bui Thi Ha on May 3.

A langur is rescued from a construction site in central Quang Binh province by the local police on May 2. (Photo: Education for Nature Vietnam)

She hoped that the centre’s hotline number 1800-1522 will continue receiving reports on crimes related to wildlife trafficking, helping more wildlife animals to return to the nature, she added.

Many wildlife animals have been saved from being illegally kept or illegally traded across the country in recent times, according to the Education for Nature Vietnam.

On May 2, thanks to a report via the hotline 1800-1522, the police of the central province of Quang Binh saved a langur from being raised in a cage at a local construction site. The langur then was sent to the Animal Rescue, Conservation and Development Centre at the Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park for proper care.

The same day, Ho Chi Minh City’s forest ranger sub-department discovered a 2-kg monkey captive at a local restaurant. The monkey was then saved and transferred to the Cu Chi Wildlife Rescue Centre. 

Similarly, the anti-environmental crime police in Hanoi seized a wine jar stuffed with a pangolin and king cobra which had been put on sale on the Internet by a trader from Dong Anh district.

In April, a foreign volunteer called the Education for Nature Vietnam to report on an endangered turtle illegal kept at a restaurant in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau. Later that month, the 4-kg olive ridley sea turtle, a species that is going extinct in Vietnam, was rescued by the local authorities and released to the sea.

Vietnam has been getting tough on wildlife protection by introducing amendments to the Penal Code that extend wildlife protection from rare, precious and endangered animals to all types of wildlife

Under the amended Penal Code 2015, which came into force on January 1, hunting, catching, killing, rearing, caging, transporting and trading wild animals is criminalised. This extends to possession of dead animals, body parts and products of rare, precious and endangered wild animals. The maximum jail term for crimes related to wildlife management has increased to 15 years.

Violations in protecting rare, precious and endangered wildlife are also viewed as “extremely serious offence” instead of “serious offence” as stated in the previous code.-VNA