A conference focusing on the illegal trafficking of tiger parts and other wild animals opened in Hanoi on December 2, attracting many international specialists and representatives from Vietnam’s law enforcement agencies.
At the conference, experts from the International Criminal Police Organization, the World Customs Organization, and the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN) shared experience and coordinate efforts to enforce Vietnam’s law on the protection of wildlife.
Experts and representatives from Vietnam’s law enforcement agencies also discussed measures to improve the effectiveness of law enforcement in controlling the trafficking of wildlife across borders and preventing related international crimes.
The experts talked about Thanh Hoa People’s Committee on November 19 issued document number 6414/UBND-NN to allow some units of the province to auction 2.77 kilograms of tiger glue with price of VND50 million (US$2,500) per kilogram.
Vietnam delegation has just been home from the Tiger Summit held in Russia from November 21 to November 24 with strong commitments on protecting the species. Governments from 13 countries in the world committed to the global tiger recover program. In the meantime, Thanh Hoa provincial authorities allow gluing confiscated tiger for auction.
Thanh Hoa authorities must recognize their responsibilities to the protection of tigers and act responsibly, said an expert.
Dr. Luu Dam Cu, deputy director of Vietnam National Museum for Nature said any forms of wild animal auction are illegal.
In Vietnam, tiger farming is still in its early stages. Possession and sale of tigers and their parts is illegal. However the demand for tiger products in the country may be on the rise as the economy continues to grow and the consumers turn toward expensive foods and medicines that were formerly beyond the reach of most people.
