VietNamNet Bridge – It is estimated that about 20 Indochinese tigers and nearly 100 Asian elephants are left in the wild in Vietnam, heard a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on September 17.

An Indochinese tiger. (Photo: VNA)

The workshop on preventing and combating wildlife trafficking was held by the General Department of Vietnam Customs in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Participants proposed to develop a legal mechanism on wildlife trading control while amending some articles relating to wild animal crimes in the Penal Code, reported the Lao Dong newspaper.

According to the Forest Ranger Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, an average of 1,095 wildlife protection regulation violations have occurred annually over the last five years.

During the period, nearly 60,000 endangered species were seized.

A 2007 research study on the impacts of anti-wildlife-trafficking policies in Vietnam revealed that illegal wildlife trade generated an annual revenue of 66 million USD and the seized volume only accounted for less than 20 percent of the total trafficked animals.

VNA