On 22/7, Da Nang City's Economic Police Department arrested Nguyen Van Hoang, 32, a chef at a restaurant in Ngu Hanh Son ward. Also arrested were Huynh Thi Thu Thuy, 56, and her husband, Tran Duc Ngu, 59, for their alleged involvement in the trafficking of the pangolin, a species listed as critically endangered in Vietnam's Red Book.
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The rescued Javan pangolin. Photo: Thanh Anh |
The rescued Javan pangolin. Photo: Thanh Anh
In mid-July, a resident handed over a pangolin to An Khe ward police. The animal was discovered in checked baggage on a bus traveling from Quy Nhon to Da Nang. The Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology identified the animal as a Javan pangolin, a critically endangered species under strict legal protection.
Police determined Hoang had ordered the pangolin from Thuy and Ngu to prepare a dish for customers. The couple are suspected of being wildlife traffickers supplying restaurants.
The live pangolin has been transferred to the Vinpearl River Safari Nam Hoi An biodiversity conservation facility for care.
Javan pangolins have significant economic, scientific, and ecological value, but their wild populations are declining sharply, placing them at high risk of extinction.
Ngoc Truong
