The Wildlife at Risk organization has announced that a large illegal wildlife trade network dealing with Dugongs on Phu Quoc Island in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang has just been uncovered.
A few days earlier, a Dugong weighing about 100 kilograms was killed and sold to local restaurants. The Wildlife at Risk organization sent proof of an illegal trafficking ring dealing with Dugongs and other marine species at risk of extinction, to relevant departments on Phu Quoc Island.
The Wildlife at Risk organization also committed to supporting the conservation of marine resources in Phu Quoc.
Dugong is a large marine mammal that is under high threat of extinction according to the Vietnam Red Book and IUCN Red Book.
According to World Wildlife Fund, in 2003, Phu Quoc and Con Dao Islands were the only two places in Vietnam that had an estimated total of 100 Dugongs.
