VietNamNet Bridge - Saving and rehabilitating wounded wild animals and releasing them back to the forests are the main tasks of workers and officers at the Hanoi Wildlife Rescue Center. 


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At the Hanoi Wildlife Rescue Center



According to the center’s director Luong Xuan Hong, most of the wild animals at the center were seized by police during anti-wildlife trafficking campaigns. After receiving the animals, the center will heal wounds and treat diseases before releasing them back to the forests.

Workers prepare food, take care of animals and clean cages. 

Hong said it is difficult to find food for animals which have different tastes. Some species are omnivorous, while others are very choosy.

Trinh Thi Thu Hang, the only veterinarian at the center, recalled the day when she and her colleagues spent sleepless nights to rescue Dong Nai, a tiger which suffered from dysentery.

The number of wildlife is always higher than the capacity of the center. While the facilities and conditions at the center are very poor, they have heavy responsibilities. 

“We tried to feed it with milk and gruel, but it didn’t help. When it lost consciousness, the center’s leaders decided to drip-feed Dong Nai with protein,” Hang said.

It was hard work, because the tiger was small and weak. But this helped it revive. Within half an hour, Dong Nai wiggled and step by step recovered. Now it is a healthy mother tiger.

When carried away for consumption, wild animals are likely to transmit diseases to each other and to humans. At first, with their survival instincts, they attack objects they perceive as dangerous. 

Only after a period of domestication will they become more friendly to humans. The workers at the center are always at risk and need to be cautious when taking care of animals.

The number of wildlife is always higher than the capacity of the center. While the facilities and conditions at the center are very poor, they have heavy responsibilities. 

Nine workers have to take care of 39 wildlife species in 20 cages on one hectare. Meanwhile, there is only veterinarian.

The Hanoi Wildlife Rescue Center has received 350 wild animals and 8.5 kilograms of crocodiles to take care of this year.

In 1994, Vietnam joined the Convention on Biological Diversity. Since then, the government of Vietnam has been making investments in human and financial resources to implement its commitments and protect the country’s biodiversity.

The 2017 Penal Code stipulates heavy sanctions on storing and trafficking wildlife. Individuals could be sentenced up to 15 years in prison and fined up to VND5 billion.


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