At least 86 per cent of advertisements for illegal wildlife products in hotels, restaurants, bars, pet shops and herbal medicine shops in Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang and Quang Nam were removed by local authorities in 2019 and 2020.

An expert from Da Nang-based Douc Langur Foundation and local rangers release an Asian water monitor to nature after being rescued from captivity. — Photo courtesy of Douc Langur Foundation

A survey from the Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV) was recently released from a wildlife violation reduction campaign that took place at 1,369 sites in the three localities in 2019 and 2020.

ENV said Da Nang had the highest rate with 94 per cent of violation cases successfully dealt with, while Thua Thien-Hue and Quang Nam followed with 88 per and 77 per cent, respectively.

It said 81 restaurants and herbal medicine shops out of 1,369 sites had made wildlife-related violations, 5.9 per cent, lower than the figures in Hanoi (11 per cent) and HCM City (8 per cent).

Wildlife-related crimes agencies in the three central localities had effectively punished and seized wildlife products in 23 of total 38 violation cases, saving 27 living animals from restaurants and pet shops.

ENV also said wildlife-related crime agencies had received 51 calls from local residents on wildlife violations in the localities in 2019 and 2020 and 49 cases were then arrested or destroyed, saving living animals in 22 of 38 cases.

The successful prevention of wildlife violations in the region resulted from the efforts of wildlife-related crime agencies during the two-year campaign.

 

Da Nang was the first city in central Vietnam to launch the campaign ‘Say No to wildlife consumption’.

Da Nang's location and traffic connections make it a hub of wildlife trafficking routes from the Central Highlands region to northern provinces.

Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang and Quang Nam are the richest biodiversity sites in Vietnam with two conservation centres of saola – the Vu Quang ox, spindlehorn, or Asian bicorn, the saola – one of the world’s rarest large mammals found only in the Truong Son Mountain Range of Vietnam and Laos.

The region is home to the national parks Bach Ma in Thua Thien-Hue and Song Thanh in Quang Nam Province, while Da Nang has Son Tra and Ba Na-Nui Chua reserves with the largest population of the endangered red-shanked douc langur in Vietnam.  

VNS