Local NGO Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) has released a statement calling for the destruction of the country’s 25-ton stockpile of confiscated ivory.
Nguyen Phuong Dung, Vice Director of ENV, says she would like to see Vietnam follow the examples set by Gabon, Kenya, Philippines, United States, and mainland China. Hong Kong recently committed to incinerating 28 tons of its stockpile, as did France.
“We totally support the incineration of ivory because it communicates a strong message against the elephant tusk trade all over the world. If the ivory is auctioned (which means legalizing the trade), the market for ivory will continue to be fed and the authorities will meet numerous difficulties in distinguishing between legal and illegal products.”
ENV, which was the country’s first wildlife conservation NGO, reports that the statement has since been published by more than 20 major newspapers in Vietnam.
Meanwhile, a Vietnamese national is among three people arrested in connection with this week’s 1.7 ton ivory seizure in the West African country of Togo. The illicit cargo was headed to Vietnam.
In December 2013, a Ho Chi Minh City court sentenced the director and vice director of an import/export company to three years imprisonment for their involvement in smuggling 2.4 tons of ivory into Vietnam.
Rhishja Cota
I am the founder of Annamiticus and I have been researching and writing about wildlife trafficking issues since 2009. I also founded World Pangolin Day in 2012. I am the author of USAID Wildlife Asia's Pangolin Species Identification Guide: A Rapid Assessment Tool for Field and Desk. I co-facilitated and was a presenter at the USAID Wildlife Asia Pangolin Care Workshop. At the 4th Regional Dialogue on Combating Trafficking of Wild Fauna and Flora, I facilitated the species roundtables on pangolins. I have trekked with forest rangers in Cambodia, journeyed to the streets of Hanoi to research the illegal wildlife trade, and to the rainforests of Sumatra and Java to document the world’s rarest rhinos. At CITES meetings, I collaborate with colleagues from around the world to lobby in favor of protecting endangered species. I hosted the Behind the Schemes podcast and am the author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine. I enjoy music, desert gardening, herping, reading, creating, and walking with my dogs. Check out my t-shirts and stickers at snoots + teefers.