Wild Trade Vietnam

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THUMBNAIL	DESCRIPTION
	These two photos show a Gaur (Bos gaurus) shot by the man in the photo in a forest reserve in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The Gaur is a protected animal in Vietnam and listed in CITES Appendix I. What is even more remarkable is that this man, who is obviously proud of his trophy, was an officer with the Forest Protection Department (FPD) of Vietnam - the agency which is supposed to protect Vietnam's endangered wildlife. What is the explanation? One reason is FPD officers are only poorly trained. When I visited a nearby area in the same year, I was struck by the limited resources for FPD staff, including the lack of training materials for new officers. Over the last several years, international agencies such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF), have funded training for FPD field officers, customs agents and other wildlife workers. The lower photo was printed, along with a story of the event, in the Communist Party Lao Dong Newspaper on 5 June 1997. Location:Central Highlands Date: May, 1995 Credit: Vu Ngoc Thanh
	These photos are of a young hunter at a river crossing in a Reserve in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. He has captured a couple Water Monitor Lizards (Varanus salvator). This genus is listed in CITES Appendix II (some less common species are on Appendix I). Monitor lizards are a nutritious food. In some countries, this species is bred in captivity for the market.However, taking monitors from forest Reserves, usually depletes wild populations. Location: Central Highlands Date: 27 May, 1995 Credit: Vu Ngoc Thanh
	Two days later, same reserve, another hunter (and dog) and another collection of Water Monitor Lizards (Varanus salvator). Location: Central Highlands Date: 29 May, 1995 Credit: Vu Ngoc Thanh
	On a slightly brighter note, here is a beautiful example of a wild Long-tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis). living in freedom. The photographer, Mr Vu Ngoc Thanh says that, as a result of the survey on which this animal was seen, this forest will become a new reserve. So, there can be progress! Location:Ea Kar District, Dak Lak Province, Central Highlands Date: 27 April 1997 Credit: Vu Ngoc Thanh

Prepared by Vern Weitzel <vern@coombs.anu.edu.au>
Australia Vietnam Science-Technology Link