 |
| (for illustration only) |
A training course on wildlife trafficking prevention was held on June 1 for staff at Noi Bai International Airport with the funding from the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
During the workshop, 70 airport personnel including check-in counter attendants, baggage handlers, customs officers, immigration staff and security officials, were provided with the latest developments of the illegal wildlife trade in the world and its impacts.
They also studied the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, relevant national legislation, smuggling techniques, species identification and the handling of confiscations.
This was the eighth training course of its kind in Southeast Asia. The courses have been held for more than 1,100 participants throughout the region, most recently at SuvarnabhumiInternationalAirport in Bangkok, Thailand and the Kuala LumpurInternationalAirport in Malaysia.
The course has been built for airports around the world and particularly those in Southeast Asia since they have been found to become common points of transit for the illegally smuggled animals.
“It’s time to put a stop to criminals using our airports to smuggle protected and endangered species,” said Nguyen Ngoc Binh, Deputy Director General of Vietnam’s Directorate of Forestry.
Illegal wildlife trafficking within Vietnam has continuously been on the rise with criminals getting more cunning and professional, making it hard for authoritative agencies to detect and control, said an official from the Cu Chi Wildlife Rescue Centre in Ho Chi Minh City.
The centre on May 31 handed over a rare leopard with the scientific name of panthera pardus to the CatTienNational Park in Dong Nai province.
The female leopard was rescued two years ago from illegal captivity. It will lated be released to the jungle.
The Cu Chi Rescue Centre has since 2006 saved 2,000 individuals of 39 species, many of which are invaluable, rare species listed in the red book.
Source: Vietnam+