Birds being offered for sale at a market in Thanh Hoa District in Long An Province

Reptiles, turtles and birds are offered for sale in large number in Thanh Hoa  District in Long An Province. They are kept in cages or hung on strings and will be slaughtered right there after being ordered by customers.

According to some sellers, the animals were supplied by ''professional hunters'' and were caught from several forests in the area. The animals are offered at low prices, from just VND150,000 (USD6.7) a kilo.

Wild snakes can also be found on sale at many markets near the Tram Chim National Park such as Phu Tho, Phu Cuong and An Long markets.

Tran Thi Mo, a trader at Phu Tho market, said that they can’t display their goods in large numbers as before, because the police are now tightening their check everyday.

''But we can still do large orders," she said.

At Tam Ran shop which provides snakes and turtles, customers can find many kinds which are sold both fresh or dried. Fresh snakes are priced at VND 150,000 a kilo while dried snakes priced at VND400,000.

"The snakes come from Cambodia and the Tram Chim Ramsar," the Tam Ran shop owner said.

At Phuong Chi Restaurant, customers can also order wild animals easily even if they are not written on their menus.

"Some kinds of wild animals have recently become more difficult to buy due to rampant hunting," the restaurant owner, Phuong Chi, said. "Sometimes customers need to reserve before for us to search for the sources."

Director of the Tram Chim National Park, Nguyen The Hanh, said that they have recently intensified the check and tried to co-operate with local forest rangers to deal with the illegal hunting, trading and using or wild animals.

"Besides, we’re also trying to educate local people to raise their awareness about wild animal protection," Hanh said.

Dtinews