U.S. to Support Vietnam in Fight against Wildlife Smuggling: Ambassador Osius

The United States government will grant more support for Vietnam in the fight against the trafficking and sales of wildlife and animals so that the latter can build policies in line with the world’s standards, state media reported March 29 citing U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius. The U.S. government is also committed to helping Vietnam build an alliance linking the central and local governments with international organizations so that younger generations can learn more about wildlife protection, Ambassador Osius said at a conference reviewing the efficiency of campaigns against wildlife smuggling in Vietnam. The conference was co-organized in Hanoi today by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the anti-human and animal trafficking Freeland Foundation. Vietnam is one of the top countries consuming wildlife products as well as a transit hub for many rare wild species. The country’s police busted average 50-70 wildlife smuggling cases with between 4,000 tons and 4,500 tons of wild animals annually, said Nguyen Anh Tuan from Interpol Vietnam. Between 2013 and 2015, Vietnam’s live animal imports from South Africa rose by an average of 2-fold, which has no doubt further complicated the fight against wildlife trafficking and animal rights protection in the Southeast Asian country. In recent years, international organizations and non-governmental organizations in Vietnam have called on the government to boost efforts to protect endangered animals and prevent the trafficking and consumption of rhino horns and bear bile. Preventing wildlife trafficking is part of activities that both Vietnam and the U.S. have focused on over the past years as affirmed by U.S. Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell in a two-day visit to Hanoi last July. (VietnamPlus Mar 29)