- Title: Vietnam hold first-ever destruction of ivory and rhino horns
- Date: 12th November 2016
- Summary: HANOI, VIETNAM (NOVEMBER 12, 2016) (REUTERS) BANNER READING (English and Vietnamese): "VIETNAM'S IVORY AND RHINO HORN DESTRUCTION" IMAGE OF RHINO AND ELEPHANT ON THE BANNER POLICE GUARDING ROWS OF CASES OF SPECIMEN CASES OF SPECIMEN VARIOUS OF POLICE AND OFFICIALS STANDING NEAR ROWS OF CASES OF SPECIMEN OFFICIALS OPENING CASE OF TUSKS VARIOUS OF TUSKS INSIDE CASES VIETNAMESE VICE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, HA CONG TUAN, TAKING A PIECE OF TUSK OUT OF CASE BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO VIETNAM, GILES LEVER, PUTTING A TUSK INTO WOOD CHIPPER VARIOUS OF TUSKS HA CONG TUAN PUTTING A TUSK INTO WOOD CHIPPER (SOUNDBITE) (Vietnamese) VIETNAMESE VICE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, HA CONG TUAN, SAYING: "The destruction today is a clear indication that our government has a strong commitment to fulfil our international duty in conventions to protect wildlife." TUAN AND LEVER STANDING (SOUNDBITE) (English) BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO VIETNAM, GILES LEVER, SAYING: "The more efforts which Vietnam and the Vietnamese government can have to working with other countries to stop the illegal wildlife trade, I think that will really help Vietnam's international image. And we must also understand that the illegal wildlife trade is very serious, organised crime. It is run by big criminal networks that make huge amounts of money and that are involved in corruption and bribing public officials and murdering game rangers who are trying to protect the animals in Africa." ELEPHANT TUSKS BEING CUT INTO PIECES WORKER ADDING TUSKS INTO WOOD CHIPPER OFFICIALS, GUARD AND MEDIA LOOKING ON GUARD STANDING NEAR WOOD CHIPPER PILE OF BROKEN TUSKS VARIOUS OF WORKERS CUTTING ELEPHANT TUSKS INTO PIECES TUSKS WORKER CUTTING ELEPHANT TUSK TUSKS VARIOUS OF PEOPLE CUTTING UP TUSKS WORKER THROWING PIECES OF TUSKS INTO CART TUSK BEING CUT IN TWO VARIOUS OF RHINO HORN BEING CUT UP VARIOUS OF TUSKS ON TABLE SAMPLES OF TUSK WITH MARKINGS (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT FOR HSI, DR. TERESA TELECKY, SAYING: "So for elephants, we're really… the two major markets for elephant ivory in the world are China and the United States, and that's something that we are working on in both of those countries. Vietnam is just a transit country, so I would say, you know, it has a role but it's not as big as those consumer countries. On rhino horn, Vietnam is one of the two largest consumers of rhino horns, so it is having a very devastating impact on the rhinos. So if we could do something to reduce demand here, reduce demand in China, may be wipe it out, that will help rhinos in Africa." VARIOUS OF CASES BEING TRANSPORTED PEOPLE CARRYING A CASE HANDS HOLDING RHINO HORNS VARIOUS OF OFFICIALS PLACING RHINO HORNS ONTO WOODPILE POLICE LOOKING ON VARIOUS OF PEOPLE PUTTING RHINO HORNS ON WOODPILE PEOPLE LIGHTING THE FIRE RHINO HORN IN THE FIRE POLICEMEN LOOKING ON OFFICIALS LIGHTING BONFIRE VARIOUS OF TUSKS BEING BURNED VARIOUS OF LEVER AND TUAN STANDING NEXT TO BONFIRE AND TALKING
- Embargoed: 27th November 2016 12:20
- Keywords: Hanoi elephant ivory rhino horn illegal trade wildlife Vietnam
- Location: HANOI, VIETNAM
- City: HANOI, VIETNAM
- Country: Vietnam
- Topics: Environment,Nature/Wildlife
- Reuters ID: LVA00158518W7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Large piles of elephant ivory and rhino horns were destroyed on Saturday (November 12) in Hanoi, as the government tried to send a message to the international world that Vietnam was serious about putting a stop to illegal wildlife trade.
Vietnam has long been a rhino horn consumer market, and a transit point for smuggler to bring ivory into the main market in China.
Authorities said they destroyed 2,177.5 kg of elephant ivory and 70.1 kg of rhinoceros horns in Saturday's event, the first ever of its kind in Vietnam.
It also took place ahead of the Hanoi Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade on November 17-18, which will be attended by Britain's Prince William. The conference is aimed at strengthening actions worldwide against illegal wildlife trade.
On Saturday, armed police watched over workers as they cut the ivory into pieces and put them through a wood chipper. The event was attended by Vietnam's Vice Minister of Agriculture Ha Cong Tuan, who reaffirmed the commitment of his government to eradicate the trading of illegal wildlife products.
"The destruction today is a clear indication that our government has a strong commitment to fulfil our international duty in conventions to protect wildlife," said Tuan.
The British Ambassador to Vietnam, Giles Lever, said Hanoi's action could help boost the country's image on the international stage.
"The more efforts which Vietnam and the Vietnamese government can have to working with other countries to stop the illegal wildlife trade, I think that will really help Vietnam's international image. And we must also understand that the illegal wildlife trade is very serious, organised crime. It is run by big criminal networks that make huge amounts of money and that are involved in corruption and bribing public officials and murdering game rangers who are trying to protect the animals in Africa," said Lever.
According to UK-based Humane Society International (HSI), the confiscated specimen - estimated to be worth more than $7 million on the black market - all came from the slaughter of an estimated 330 African elephants and 23 rhinos.
The usage and trading of rhino horn is a criminal offence in Vietnam, but enduring local beliefs in rhino horn's perceived medicinal power as an elixir remains strong, especially among the country's growing middle class as well as upper class. Saturday's event put Vietnam into the list of 20 other countries that have also crushed or burned their seized ivory and rhino horn.
"So for elephants, we're really… the two major markets for elephant ivory in the world are China and the United States, and that's something that we are working on in both of those countries. Vietnam is just a transit country, so I would say, you know, it has a role but it's not as big as those consumer countries'. On rhino horn, Vietnam is one of the two largest consumers of rhino horns, so it is having a very devastating impact on the rhinos. So if we could do something to reduce demand here, reduce demand in China, may be wipe it out, that will help rhinos in Africa," said Teresa Telecky, director of the wildlife department for HSI, which has been working with the Vietnamese government since 2013 to reduce demand for rhino horn in the country.
According to HIS, more than 200 tons of seized ivory and rhino horns have been crushed and burned in 26 destruction events around the world since 2011. In September 2016, an aerial survey of elephants across Africa, revealed a 30 percent decline of the species since 2007. In the last 10 years, poachers killed more than 6,000 rhinos in Africa, with more than 1,300 poached in 2015 alone, leaving only about 29,000 rhinos of five species remaining in the wild. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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