ENV Wildlife Conservation Trust

* And campaigned for tougher punishment of pangolin crimes in Vietnam, successfully persuading lawmakers to increase the maximum prison sentence from seven years to 15 years in the new 2018 Penal Code
 
In 2018, a total of 109 cases involving 128 pangolin-related violations were reported via ENV’s hotline. Sixty-six of these violations involved the advertising and sale of pangolins, 52 comprised smuggling and trade operations, seven violations involved the possession of pangolin or pangolin parts and three violations involved hunting.  Among the ‘highlights’ of 2018, were the seizure of 3.8 tonnes of pangolin scales in Ho Chi Minh City by Customs acting on intelligence from ENV and monitoring the recovery operation of 74 pangolins  seized by the authorities in Thanh Hoa province following a truck stop.

And just recently we were able to rescue two live pangolins in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) following a tip-off to our toll-free wildlife crime hotline. The two Sunda pangolins, each weighing just over a kilogram (around 2.2 lbs.) were quickly recovered and whisked off to a rescue center just north of the southern city to be monitored with a view to later release back into nature. A third pangolin was recovered in Hue, central Vietnam, following a call to our toll-free wildlife crime hotline.

Lucky to be alive, pangolins intercepted in transit

About pangolins

There are eight species of pangolin spread across Asia and Africa. Pangolins, also known as 'scaly anteaters', are covered in hard protective scales. These scales are made of keratin, the same substance that’s in human hair and nails. Pangolins use their long, sticky tongues, which they can extend as much as 40 cm, to eat ants and termites. Their scales effectively become armor plating when the pangolin rolls into a tight ball when threatened by predators. Unfortunately, this method of defense makes them particularly vulnerable to poachers.

Pangolins are fully protected under Vietnamese law and banned from commercial trade under the international treaty regulating the trade of endangered wildlife, CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). It is illegal to hunt, trap, keep, kill, transport, sell or advertise pangolins or pangolin products in Vietnam.

In Vietnam, pangolins are commonly consumed as specialty dishes at restaurants, soaked and served in wine, or used in traditional medicine. While the demand for pangolin meat and scales is a growing problem in Vietnam, the majority of traded pangolins are being smuggled to China.

Pangolin in wine
 
Act now. Donate today!

·       $50 will rescue a pangolin reported to ENV by the public. ENV will ensure that the pangolin is transferred to a rescue center with a view to release back into the wild

·       $100 helps support the operation of ENV’s national Wildlife Crime Hotline through which the public reports pangolin crimes.

·       $150 will support the ENV Rapid Response Team in assisting police on location in cases involving live pangolins. The response team facilitates the transfer of animals to appropriate rescue centers.

·       $1,000 supports one ENV volunteer “outpost” for a year. Each outpost is composed of volunteers who are recruited and trained to monitor restaurants and markets, report violations and host local awareness activities urging the public not to consume pangolins and other endangered wildlife. ENV outposts are currently active in 17 cities throughout Vietnam.

 Every dollar counts when it comes to rescuing these beyond-precious pangolins from the illegal wildlife trade.

 
* See our pangolin PSA video playlist on YouTube  

 
Pangolins on the way to Hanoi Wildlife Rescue Center
 

ENV has been championing endangered wildlife in Vietnam for 18 years. In that time, we have forged collaborative working relationships with law makers, law enforcement agencies and the public to fight the illegal wildlife trade and rescue endangered wildlife. Your donation can help us do more. Even a small donation will have an instant impact.

>  Videos   Bear bile is not magic medicine  | Hero to zero   |  Pangolin crime fighters  |  Protecting tigers  |  ENV Rhino Ambassador visits Kruger National Park  | A day in the life of the ENV wildlife crime unit 

Our track record is one of getting stuff done on the ground in Vietnam since 2000. We are results-driven and always put wildlife first, ensuring the best possible outcome. However, all this takes time, energy and resources. We are, therefore, asking you today to donate to ENV and give wildlife the chance it deserves to thrive in nature where it belongs.

Together with our collaborative partners in Vietnam we have disrupted major criminal networks and:

·         brought down marine turtle kingpin, Hoang Tuan Hai who was sentenced to 4.5 years in jail;

·         supplied intelligence that assisted in the prosecution of rhino horn smuggler, Nguyen Mau Chien;

·         navigated ENV’s recommendations into Vietnam’s revised Penal Code;

·         reduced the number of Vietnamese farm bears from a high of 4,200 in 2005 to circa 800 today;

·         closed down an entire bear bile tourism industry in Quang Ninh province;

·         oversaw a record 23 provinces become bear farm-free;

·         shut down the notorious illegal wildlife market in Dong Xuan; and

·         after two years of investigation and evidence gathering brought infamous illegal wildlife internet trader, Phan Huynh Anh Khoa to justice, ending his devastation of endangered species and ensuring he received a stiff five-year prison sentence.

 All of this - and more - has only been possible through partnership working, especially with the public and ENV’s small army of volunteers the length of Vietnam reporting wildlife crime to our toll-free hotline, which to date has dealt with over 17,000 cases and rescued thousands of protected animals from the illegal wildlife trade.

 As a non-profit organization we rely completely on donations from external sources and concerned members of the public like you. Whether on your own behalf or as a meaningful festive gift for a loved one, your donation will make a difference and help ensure some of the world’s most iconic species are saved from extinction. 

Act now. Donate today!

·       $50 will rescue a macaque, loris, leopard cat, or other live animal reported to ENV by the public. ENV will ensure that the animal is either released back into the wild or transferred to a rescue center.

·       $100 helps support the operation of ENV’s national Wildlife Crime Hotline through which the public reports wildlife crimes. ENV’s Wildlife Crime Unit receives about three new cases each day. Since 2005, 13,500 cases have been handled by the crime unit resulting in the confiscation of thousands of animals, closure of markets, and compliance by restaurants and other businesses that no longer sell wildlife.

·       $150 will support the ENV Rapid Response Team to assist police on location in cases involving live bears, tigers, or seizures of animals like pangolins. The response team facilitates the transfer of animals to appropriate rescue centers.

·       $1,000 supports one ENV “Outpost” for a year. Each outpost is composed of volunteers who are recruited and trained to monitor restaurants and markets, report violations, and host local awareness activities urging the public not to consume wildlife. ENV Outposts are currently active in 17 cities throughout Vietnam.

 Every dollar counts when it comes to rescuing endangered animals from the illegal wildlife trade.

2018 has been another successful year. As of April 2019, farmed bear numbers in Vietnam slumped to approximately 700 on the back of our ongoing campaign of persuasion to get bear farmers to call it a day. Last year alone there were 18 bear transfers to rescue centers, bringing the total number of bear farm-free provinces as of May 2019 to 26. We will not quit until the number of bear farms in Vietnam is zero.
The end is in sight for bear farming in Vietnam

In addition to ongoing campaigns to end bear farming and protect endangered tigers, rhinos and elephants, we also operate a toll-free wildlife crime hotline to enable members of the public and our network of 7,500 volunteers across Vietnam to report violations involving endangered animals. This has proved highly effective in removing protected wildlife from illegal captivity and an uncertain fate.

We work hand-in-hand with the local authorities to ensure they act on our intelligence, remove to a rescue center, or release, endangered wildlife, and enforce the law to its fullest extent.

Among our most recent rescues are:
 
* 174 turtles from a pagoda. They were subsequently released back into nature after a chance visit to the pagoda in southern Vietnam by an ENV volunteer.

*  The recovery of two highly rare Owstons’ civets in a sting operation with the local authorities. Following a tip-off from an ENV volunteer we ‘played’ a Facebook illegal wildlife seller for a month to gain his trust before engineering him into meeting up with our buyer, an undercover cop.


The civets are now in the Carnivore and Pangolins Conservation Program rescue center at Cuc Phuong National Park.

 *  A proactive trawl of the internet by our wildlife crime unit uncovered a Hawksbill turtle for sale online. As usual, greed won over caution and the illegal wildlife seller walked straight into our trap, unwittingly taking our buyer, an undercover cop, to his home to inspect the turtle. The 11kg turtle was subsequently released back to sea.

Please note this is a very small sample of our successes. These highlighted cases all occurred in a single month! Our dedicated wildlife crime team are patient and persistent. They are a remarkable bunch fighting each day for wildlife…and winning.

Join ENV on the journey to give wildlife a better chance of life in 2019 and beyond. Your generosity will have an impact. Every donation brings us a little closer to handing the world over to the next generation with wildlife in the wild, not consigned to history books. Together we can make it happen.