Press Release

CONTACT:     Nguyen Phuong Dung, Tele. (04) 514-8850 (Dung.env@fpt.vn)
                                                                       
ENV takes Action to save Asia’s tigers

One of two tigers confiscated in January 2008 by police in Hanoi.  The consumer trade in tigers appears to be growing as the standard of living increases for the country’s 83 million people.

(Hanoi) June 10, 2008 –  A film produced by the International Tiger Coalition (ITC) will soon air in Vietnam about the critical threat to Asia’s tigers resulting from hunting and trade. The film highlights how tiger farming in China is threatening the world’s estimated 5,000 remaining wild tigers. 

Education for Nature – Vietnam (ENV) has produced a Vietnamese-language narrated version of the short film which will be aired on national TV in July, and will also be used in our field-based awareness and training programs.

See the Vietnamese language version on Youtube:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=umAwsxmpE5g

Much of the attention on tigers has focused on India where some 1500 tigers are thought to remain in the wild.  Scattered and dwindling populations of other tiger subspecies persist throughout the region, including in Vietnam where most experts agree between 100-200 tigers may remain.  On the consumer end, much of the tiger trade appears to be bound for China, where tiger bones and other body parts are used in traditional medicine.  In recent years, there has been growing concern that China will end its 14 year ban on the commercial trade of tigers, largely as a result of pressure from China’s tiger farmers, estimated to hold some 5,000 tigers in captivity. 

Tiger farmers argue that legalizing the commercial trade of tigers raised on farms will reduce pressure on wild populations.  However, evidence suggests otherwise; enforcement agencies rightfully point out that front-line officers will have difficulty in distinguishing between legal and illegal tiger products.  Moreover, conservationists warn that legal commercial trade of tigers would only serve to increase demand and to intensify pressure on wild tigers. 

In Vietnam, tiger farming is still in its early stages.  Possession and sale of tigers and their parts is illegal.   However, the demand for tiger products in Vietnam may be on the rise as the economy continues to grow and consumers turn toward expensive foods and medicines that were formerly beyond the reach of most people.

“Our opportunity to do something about this is here and now,” states Vu Thi Quyen, ENV’s founding director.  “While everyone looks at China, the tiger trade here in Vietnam may be on the verge of a boom.”   Quyen warns that Vietnam could become the next largest consumer state after China for illegal wildlife. 

ENV’s Wildlife Crime Unit has documented more than 43 cases involving tigers since 2005.  Some of these involve live tigers or frozen carcasses being transported or found in the homes of major traders.  Tiger products such as specialty wines and tiger bone balm are also commonly found in consumer establishments.  ENV estimates that there are between 60-100 tigers currently held on farms in Vietnam, most of which are being kept illegally. 

The release of the ITC tiger film coincides with the launch of a new campaign by ENV to eliminate the tiger trade in Vietnam.  ENV will work closely with wildlife and law enforcement agencies to combat the illegal trade of tigers.  The joint campaign will expose illegal trade and bring the full force of the law against people and businesses that openly trade tigers or sell tiger products. 

ENV’s new tiger campaign links efforts to raise awareness and mobilize public action with active enforcement responses which target criminal enterprises and businesses violating the law.

“This may be our only chance to prevent Vietnam from turning into a major tiger consumer state,” reinforces Quyen.  “As a local organization with a long track record of actively combating wildlife crime, ENV is very much focused on achieving results.  We are committed to averting this looming disaster for tigers…not just in Vietnam, but for tigers throughout the region, which might just as easily end up in a Vietnamese boiling pot as they would a Chinese one.”

ENV wishes to thank the Environmental Justice Organization (EJF) for permitting ENV to use the original ITC tiger film and produce a Vietnamese narrated version.  

The International Tiger Coalition is an alliance of 36 organizations representing more than 100 organizations across the globe.  This unprecedented coalition, made up of environmental, zoo and animal protection organizations as well as the traditional Chinese medicine community, has come together to speak with one voice in calling for an end to trade in tiger parts and products through increased intelligence-led law enforcement and strengthening existing tiger-trade bans.

About Education for Nature - Vietnam

Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) was established in 2000 as Vietnam’s first non-governmental organization focused on conservation of nature and the environment through education.  Our mission is to foster greater understanding amongst the Vietnamese public about environmental issues of local, national and global significance, ranging from protection of wildlife and natural ecosystems to climate change. We employ creative and innovative strategies to influence attitudes and behavior, not only highlighting the need to protect Vietnam’s rich natural heritage and the living world around us, but also encouraging greater public participation in achieving this important and challenging task.

ENV’s efforts to stop wildlife crime
ENV is widely recognized as a leader in NGO efforts to address the challenging issue of combating the illegal wildlife trade in Vietnam.  In addition to targeted awareness activities and campaigns on television, public radio, and in newspapers, ENV works closely with journalists to increase the coverage and frequency of reporting on wildlife trade issues.

ENV’s new Mobile Wildlife Awareness Unit travels throughout the country hosting public events and wildlife trade awareness activities for community groups, university students, businesses, and other local partners.  The mobile awareness team also conducts training for protected area staff and government partner agencies, and is working to develop local wildlife trade monitoring groups through the National Wildlife Volunteer Network.

ENV’s educational resource team produces a range of wildlife trade focused educational materials including films, posters, school curricula, and special publications encouraging public participation in stopping the illegal wildlife trade. 

In early 2005, ENV established a Wildlife Crimes Unit (WCU) to monitor and track wildlife crimes, and assist authorities in enforcing relevant wildlife protection laws.  The WCU operates a national hotline for public reporting of wildlife crimes and tracks each case through to the end, often assisting with the placement of confiscated wildlife.  These cases are documented on ENV’s wildlife crimes database, which contains the circumstances and outcomes of nearly 1,300 recorded since January 2005. 

Education for Nature - Vietnam
No. 5 Ngo 192 Thai Thinh
PO Box 222
Dong Da district
Hanoi, Vietnam

Phone/fax: +84 4 514-8850
E-mail: env@fpt.vn

www.envietnam.org (English)
www.thiennhien.org (Vietnamese)
www.savingvietnamswildlife.org (English wildlife trade website)