Wildlife trafficking: High penalty, but still many violations

In response to the question of where hunted wildlife is transported and for what purpose, the reporter played the role of a customer to see how wildlife is butchered. Not far from Bac Kan city, a bistro in a quite remote location is known to many people for its specialties from wild animals. When the reporter called the shop owner and asked to book a table with forest dishes, the shop owner cheerfully introduced, "At present, there are birds, squirrels, and masked palm civets." When asked whether they are wild civets or farmed civets, the shop owner affirmed, "They are wild civets; no one can raise masked palm civets."

Present at the restaurant as scheduled, we saw masked palm civets, squirrels, and junglefowl already being slaughtered and put in the refrigerator. The shop owner affirms that it is all forest food, not farmed food. And usually, food will be prepared when regular customers come; other people must order in advance. The source is mainly hunted by people in the area and then sold to the shop.

Although wildlife hunting and trafficking are prohibited and the level of administrative penalties or even criminal proceedings is quite high, for profit, many people are still regardless of the violation. In recent years, the functional force of Bac Kan province has discovered many violations, fined billions of dong, and prosecuted many cases for criminal proceedings.

The most typical case was in December 2023, during patrol in Dong Tam town (Cho Moi district), when forest rangers discovered the subject Nguyen Van Tu driving a car with license plate number 12A01760 and transporting 4 civet individuals (group IIB) still alive with a total weight of 9kg; 2 civet individuals died, weighing 3.5kg; 5 frozen masked palm civets, weighing 3.5 kg; and 2kg of forest birds.

Since the end of 2022, Bac Kan province's forest rangers have discovered and handled six cases of illegal wildlife trading, transportation, and advertising and confiscated hundreds of wildlife individuals, including many rare and precious species, such as the silver pheasant of group IB.

After many months of monitoring, in April 2022, the professional force of the Bac Kan Provincial Police raided and caught subject Hoang Van Dinh (born 2001, residing in Khuoi Lay hamlet, Thuan Mang commune, Ngan Son district) when the subject was transporting wildlife for consumption. The functional force confiscated on the spot 1 pheasant individual and 2 wild cat individuals. Subject Dinh Khai declared that he often sets traps in the forests near his home, then transports caught animals to sell to some magnates who specialize in collecting wildlife.

Since 2021, the professional force of the Bac Kan Provincial Police has discovered and handled 7 cases of wildlife transportation and trafficking. The confiscated exhibits included 29 bamboo rat individuals, 25 nightingale individuals, 3 silver pheasant individuals, 2 wild cat individuals, and 1 grey peacock pheasant individual. Of these, the functional agency has prosecuted 4 cases and administratively handled 3 cases, amounting to more than VND 1 billion.

In addition, recently, the PC03 Department of Bac Kan Provincial Police also discovered a case of violating regulations on protecting rare and endangered animals, with confiscated exhibits including 9 turtle individuals (8 keeled box turtles and 1 big-headed turtle). The PC03 Department prosecuted the case and prosecuted one defendant according to regulations.

Comments from the functional force of Bac Kan province show that, although the level of administrative penalties for wildlife hunting, transportation, and trafficking is quite high, more than VND 600 million in some cases. Many people are still regardless of the violation. Many cases have been prosecuted, and many people have fallen into legal trouble, but for profit, many people still hunt and trade wildlife illegally.

Bac Kan province has three large special-use forests: Ba Be National Park, Kim Hy Nature Reserve, and Nam Xuan Lac Species and Habitat Conservation Area, where the wildlife system is still quite diverse with many rare and precious species. In addition, Bac Kan is also the province with the highest forest coverage rate in the country, more than 73%, and a quite abundant number of wild animal species in the forest.