Prime Minister directs urgent measures on wildlife management

An otter of Group 1B, locked in an iron cage, is illegally sold in the Mekong Delta province of Long An (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Hanoi (VNA) - Despite drastic measures, the illegal hunting, slaughtering, transporting and trading of wild animals remain complicated in some localities.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has signed Directive 29/CT-TTg on urgent measures on wildlife management.

Stopping imports, eliminating hotspots

According to the document, the legal system on sustainable preservation, protection and development of wild animals has been completed in accordance with international law. All sectors have taken drastic solutions.

However, the illegal hunting, slaughtering, transporting and trading of wild animals remain complicated in some localities, leading to increasing risk of their extinction, negatively affecting the ecological balance and human health, undermining the country’s reputation in the global arena, as well as posing a risk of disease transmission to humans, livestock and poultry.

To ensure strict enforcement of legal regulations on wildlife management, the Prime Minister ordered a stop to importing wild animals whether they’re dead or alive, as well as their eggs, larvae, organs, body parts and other derivatives. However, the directive still allows imports of aquatic species for food processing, until there is a new direction from the Government leader.

All cases of importing wild animals contrary to this directive must be strictly punished according to provisions of law on illegal wild animals. For wild animals which have been granted export permit by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)’s management agencies, border-gate customs offices require owners to return the animals to their origin. If the owners fail to comply with the regulations or their goods cannot be identified, they will be treated according to Vietnam's law on illegal wildlife.

The PM requested ministries and relevant agencies to review the legal document system for proposing the revision and supplementation of punishments on the illegal trade of wild animals.

The directive also calls for the abolishment of markets and places where wild animals are illegally traded, as well as tight control of and strict punishment for the illegal hunting, capturing, trading, transporting, slaughtering, and advertising of wild animals, especially mammals, birds and reptiles.

All citizens, particularly officials, civil servants, public employees and their relatives, are called to not participate in the illegal hunting, capturing, buying, selling, transporting, slaughtering, consuming, storing, and advertising of wildlife, the directive emphasises.

Intensifying supervision of breeding activities

To ensure the management work, the Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to work with relevant ministries and the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities to strictly implement solutions for wildlife management, as well as intensify supervision of wildlife breeding activities, ensuring the origin.

He also ordered a database on establishments for commercial breeding of wild animal species that are on the list of endangered, precious and rare animals.

Along with that is strengthening the direction of measures to monitor diseases and veterinary hygiene at wildlife raising and trading establishments, while continuously improving the legal system on wildlife management.

The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources is responsible for State management on biodiversity, the PM requested.

Focusing on busting crime rings

The Prime Minister asked the Ministry of Public Security to direct relevant forces to increase prevention and detection and strictly handle violations relating to wild animals, especially focusing on busting rings of cross-border organized crimes of illegally trading, storing, transporting, exporting, and importing of wildlife.

The Ministry of Defence was tasked to direct coast and border guards to increase patrols and tighten control at border gates.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade is responsible for directing the market management forces to prevent trafficking and illegal trade of endangered and rare wild animals.

The Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Health to manage medical and pharmaceutical business establishments and drug and medical product manufacturers that use ingredients from wild animals.

He also asked the Supreme People's Procuracy and the Supreme People's Court to speed up the investigation and prosecution of people who involve in illegal hunting, capturing, buying, selling, transporting, slaughtering, and storing of wild animals.

The People’s Committees of cities and provinces were ordered to take measures to protect wild animals./.