Cross-border wildlife trafficking discovered in An Giang
Border guards of the Mekong Delta province of An Giang that borders Cambodia has reported it has detected a case of wildlife trafficking.
Cross-border wildlife trafficking discovered in An Giang (Photo: VNA)
An Giang (VNA) – Border guards of the Mekong Delta province of An Giang that borders Cambodia has reported it has detected a case of wildlife trafficking.
The Long Binh border guard station in An Phu district on July 24 uncovered a number of wild animals left in a motorboat on the bank of Hau River in Khanh An commune.
Smugglers took advantage of the night to flee away, leaving behind a motorboat carrying 10 cartons of wild animals, including 52 iguanas and 42 turtles with a total weight of 335kg.
The animals have been handed over to the provincial Forest Protection Department and the case is being further investigated./.
Vietnam, though rich in biodiversity with a large number of precious, rare and endemic species, has seen a decline in the number of many rare species, requiring the country to work hard to preserve and protect them against risk of extinction.
The General Department of Vietnam Customs will participate in the Operation Mekong Dragon IV, a joint regional operation against drug and wildlife trafficking, from April 15 to September 15 this year, the department has announced.
Since the Government’s decision on action plan for the protection of the primate species in Vietnam was issued in 2017, a total of 684 endangered douc langurs, including 86 grey-shanked douc langurs (Pygathrix cinerea), one of the world’s 25 Critically Endangered primates, have been captured by rangers and authorities in 80 illegal hunting and wildlife trafficking cases.
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) will help Vietnam control illegal wildlife trafficking through a 15 million USD project launched in Hanoi on June 13.
The People’s Court of Hanoi on July 12 sentenced three women and one man to a total 18 years in prison for illegally transporting and trading 984kg of pangolin scales, one of the largest cases of wildlife trafficking detected so far in Vietnam.
Cross-border wildlife trafficking discovered in An Giang (Photo: VNA) 
