Vietnam’s Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City will organize two exhibitions on improving the public awareness on illegal wildlife trafficking Sept 23-24, the Voice of Vietnam Radio said. The events are co-held by the Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV) and the U.S. Agency for International Development, and are funded by Asia’s Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking (ARREST) Program. The exhibitions are aimed to help people know more about the wildlife situation in Vietnam and offer quizzes on wildlife farming and traditional medicine as well as seeks measures to protect the endangered species. They will also encourage people to join the National Wildlife Protection Volunteer Network with 300 current members. The network allows them to monitor and report wildlife trafficking crime. Experts warned that many other species of wildlife, including primates, turtles and tigers, will also be danger of extinction in the near future due to rampant illicit hunting if no drastic measures are taken. Nearly 200 species of animals are being offered in the Vietnamese market, including 80 endangered species. Between 4,000-4,500 tons of wild animals are transited in Vietnam each year and they are mainly smuggled into China. Illegal wildlife trafficking worldwide generates between $5 billion- $20 billion a year, ranking the second after the illegal drug trade. Vietnamese authorities had uncovered only 10% of the actual number of such cases over the past few years as smugglers are becoming more cunning in their activities. (vovnews.vn Sept 21, giaoduc.net.vn Sept 21, Lao Dong – Labor Sept 22 p5)
