Tag: rhino horn

Vietnam suspends wildlife trade as pandemic prods action

HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Vietnam, one of Asia’s biggest consumers of wildlife products, has suspended all imports of wild animal species “dead or alive” and vowed to “eliminate” illegal markets across the country. The directive signed by the leader of the Communist country follows an international scandal over the sale of wildlife, which has been blamed as the origin of the coronavirus pandemic in neighbouring China. It is a major victory for conservation groups who […]

Thai police arrest ‘kingpin’ in Asian wildlife trafficking

BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Thai police have arrested an alleged kingpin in Asia’s illegal trade in endangered species, dealing a blow to family-run syndicate that smuggles elephant ivory, rhino horn and tiger parts to Chinese and Vietnamese dealers. Boonchai Bach, 40, a Vietnamese national with Thai citizenship, was arrested on Friday evening over the smuggling of 14 rhino horns worth around $1 million from Africa to Thailand. His downfall follows the December 12 arrest of […]

South Africa nabs two Vietnamese men with 41kg of rhino horn

(Reuters) – South African authorities have arrested two Vietnamese men in possession of 41 kg of rhino horn, the largest haul nabbed in the country battling to stave off poaching of its dwindling stock of the wild animals. The population of rhinos, indigenous to southern Africa, is being decimated by poachers who supply a demand for horns for decorative and supposed medicinal purposes especially in Asian countries. A total of 933 rhinos were killed in […]