Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV) has called on the community to join hands to protect wild tigers whose population has been falling sharply in recent years, the Voice of Vietnam Radio said Mar. 16.
Addressing a press briefing in Hanoi on Mar. 15, Nguyen Thi Van Anh, coordinator for an ENV program on wildlife protection, announced results of a survey on tiger caging and trading in Vietnam. The survey indicated that people’s demand for tiger bones to use as medicine, which is thought to be capable of strengthening human bone, improving health and treating diseases, has resulted in the fast reduction of tigers in Vietnam and other countries. It is estimated that only 30 wild tigers left in Vietnam. Hunting, a changing of living environment and fewer sources of food are major reasons hurting life of wild tigers, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said. Anh stressed that as tiger trading is not only a problem for Vietnam, but also an international issue, Vietnamese agencies should coordinate with other countries in investigating and prosecuting illegal tiger traders. ENV is the first local non-governmental institute in Vietnam focusing on natural and environmental preservation with the aim of improving public awareness of the environment.
