The ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN) launched an outdoor media campaign in Hanoi April 28 to raise the public awareness of wildlife trafficking threats in a bid to protect rare animals in Vietnam. Under the campaign, a large Vietnamese and English language billboard has been erected on the road to the Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi to remind residents and visitors that wildlife smuggling will be punished by law. The campaign, which is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, also lists telephone hotlines for reporting wildlife crime, the state-run Vietnam News Agency said. “The wildlife illegal trade is threatening many wild species of animals and plants, not just in Vietnam but also the region,” Ha Cong Tuan deputy head of the General Department of Forestry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said. This campaign is a joint initiative of the ASEAN-WEN, the Vietnamese Forest Protection Department, TRAFFIC, the Education for Nature-Vietnam and the FREELAND - an international organization dedicated to ending illegal wildlife trade and conserving natural habitats.
