The nine dead tigers are among the 17 tigers that were raised in the basements of two families in the central province of Nghe An in August 2021.

The other eight tigers that are alive were sent to Thu Le Zoo for better care on March 2022.

Earlier, the competent forces of Nghe An arrested two people for illegally raising tigers in their houses and transferred the tigers to a nature reserve in Dien Chau District for health checkups.

One of the two people was sentenced to seven years behind bars, while the other received a sentence of 30 months in jail.

Since the beginning of this year, the Vietnam Education for Nature has uncovered at least four cases of tigers being illegally raised in many localities. The tigers reportedly originated from Nghe An Province.

The local authority must pay more attention to preventing illegal wildlife trade and wild animal raising, Deputy Director of Education for Nature Bui Thi Ha said.

Indochinese tigers have been included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. They are poached for illegal wildlife trafficking because some believe their bones can be used to make traditional medicines.

Source: Saigon Times