Southern white rhinoceros adult and calf. Africa’s rhinos are targeted by poachers for their horn, much of which ends up in Vietnam.
The scale of Vietnam’s illegal wildlife trade is staggering, its inaction even more so.
Nearly 1,400 rhinos were slaughtered for their horns across Africa last year, with most of the horn smuggled by criminal gangs into Vietnam. There, rhino horn is sought after as a health tonic, a hangover cure, a cancer treatment, an investment opportunity – whatever con artists on the black market can sell it for – but mainly its acquisition has become a status symbol.
The level of illegal rhino horn trade uncovered by a recent Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) investigation in just one Vietnamese village is truly shocking: 579 rhinos were killed to supply its illegal markets – almost half the number poached in South Africa in 2015. The Vietnam government’s lack of action is equally worrying. Despite the existence of detailed information on major rhino trafficking networks, authorities have made no significant rhino horn seizures within their borders and have reported no prosecutions.
This week, Vietnam plays host to the third high-level global meeting on illegal wildlife trade, a series kicked off three years ago with much fanfare by the UK government and the British royal family. And even as the eyes of the international community are upon it, the country continues to resist cleaning up its wildlife crime problems.
Vietnam’s recalcitrance has prompted member countries in CITES – the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species – the global wildlife trade treaty, to kick off a process that could result in trade sanctions against Vietnam next year, should Vietnam continue to fail to report convincing progress in fighting its role in the global illegal rhino horn trade.
Following a year-long investigation, the independent, not-for-profit WJC recently presented a case file to the Vietnam government in which it said it found US$53.1 million in parts and products of rhinos, elephants and tigers trafficked through a criminal network consisting of 51 individuals in a single village, Nhi Khe, considered a wildlife crime hub.
Over multiple visits, the WJC investigators reported directly observing a grotesque shopping emporium filled with endangered and illegal species products: sea turtles, pangolins and birds, as well rhino horn, ivory and tiger parts from up to 907 elephants, 579 rhinos and 225 tigers. Law enforcement has yet to take significant action in the identified village, leading the WSJ to hold public hearings on the evidence, which are taking place this week.
WWF has launched a global petition calling on Vietnam to immediately shut down its blatant, open illegal rhino horn and ivory markets such as the one found in Nhi Khe. We will hand the petition, signed by citizens from nearly 100 countries, over to Vietnamese officials ahead of this week’s Hanoi Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade and urge Vietnam to announce its plan for immediately shutting down the illegal rhino horn and ivory trade.
Rhino horn and tiger teeth for sale on the black market in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Vietnam has an opportunity to show global leadership in working to curb consumers’ desire for these products. Extensive research into rhino horn consumers and their motivations is available from conservation groups and support from technical experts and donors has been offered. Vietnam could set a global example for other governments on reducing consumer demand for a product that has no legitimate use. Composed of keratin – the same substance that makes up human fingernails – rhino horn has no medicinal use and could easily be eliminated from consumers’ list of luxury products if the government were to embrace demand reduction efforts.
It’s also time for Vietnam to enact new regulations to treat wildlife crime as a serious crime that include prison sentences for trafficking; legislate to treat fake rhino horn as real rhino horn for enforcement and prosecution purposes; and successfully target and prosecute illegal traders and traffickers.
Just a week before CITES met in September, the Prime Minister of Vietnam issued a new directive instructing the Ministry of Police, provincial and city authorities to scale up their efforts to tackle wildlife crime online and in physical markets, as well as go after the high-level criminal networks behind the trade.
This week would be a great time for the Prime Minister to show the world that Vietnam means business.