Two people were fined 1 billion VND for trading pangolins

On August 26, 2023, the Phung Hiep District Police, Hau Giang province, discovered and arrested two individuals, Nguyen Thanh Tuan (born in 1993, residing in Nga Nam town, Soc Trang province) and Nguyen Thanh Tu (born in 1975, residing in Giong Rieng district, Kien Giang province) for illegally transporting and trading wild animals, specifically endangered and rare species that require strict protection.

Through the investigation, Tuan admitted to trading turtles and snakes. In August 2023, Tuan posted a picture of a pangolin on the social network Zalo with the status “Looking for a new home for a pet”. Subsequently, a woman inquired about buying it, so Tuan found Tu to find a source of pangolins. After agreeing, Tuan bought all the pangolins at a price of 1.1 million VND/kg. When the subjects were carrying out the transaction, they were inspected by the authorities, who discovered and seized 4 Javan pangolins. The Javan pangolin is currently a wild animal belonging to group IB, a list of endangered and rare wildlife.

Currently, the 4 individuals have been handed over to Cat Tien National Park for care and protection. The People’s Court of Phung Hiep district, Hau Giang province, has sentenced each of the two defendants to 500 million VND for illegally trading 4 rare Javan pangolins.

Currently, the 4 individuals have been handed over to Cat Tien National Park for care and protection. (Photo: VOV)

It is known that pangolins play a very important role in the food chain as they help control the number of harmful insects such as ants and termites. When the number of pangolins decreases, it causes an imbalance in the ecosystem, leading to many unpredictable consequences. In addition, the illegal wildlife trade also increases the risk of infectious disease outbreaks. Live animal markets are ideal places for viruses and bacteria to transmit from animals to humans, contributing to the creation of serious pandemics. A typical example is the COVID-19 pandemic.

To prevent this problem, there needs to be many coordinated activities from government agencies, conservation organizations to each of us. Each individual in the community plays an important role in reducing and preventing the illegal trade of wildlife by:

• Refusing to use products derived from wild animals, such as pangolin scales, rhinoceros horns, and other products…
• Sharing information about the importance of protecting wildlife with friends and relatives.
• When discovering violations, report them immediately to the authorities.

Source: Tien Phong newspaper