Two journalists and three law enforcement officers has been honoured for their outstanding contributions to wildlife protection.

The non-governmental organisation, Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV), under the US Agency for International Development (USAID)’s ARREST Programme, held t he Outstanding Service in Wildlife Protection Awards Ceremony in Hanoi on April 22, according to Nhan dan (People’s) Online.

The winners, who were selected from more than 60 nominations received during 2012, included Tran Thanh Binh, head of the Lam Dong Forest Protection Department; Nguyen Van Duong, deputy head of the Environmental Crime Prevention Division, Quang Ninh Police; Hoang Hai Van, journalist of Thanh Nien Newspaper; Lam Hieu Nghia, leader of Team 2, Division of Environmental Police, Ho Chi Minh City Police; and Nguyen Duy Tuan, journalist of VietnamNet Online Newspaper.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, ENV Director Vu Thi Quyen said that wildlife in Vietnam has been particularly worrisome over the past decade as hundreds even thousands of animals are illegally hunted and traded each day.

“As we all know, the last Javan rhino in Vietnam was killed for its horn in 2010, and if illegal wildlife hunting and trafficking in Vietnam continues, sooner or later every wildlife species in the country will suffer the same fate as the Javan rhino,” Quyen stressed.

However, she also said that if more and more individuals and partners follow the example of the five award winners and take part in the wildlife conservation movement; the future for Vietnam ’s wildlife will be brighter than ever.-VNA