Nine tigers are illegally kept at the farm of Nguyen Mau Chien in Thanh Hoa Province
Thanh Hoa authorities have requested approval from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and Hanoi authorities to transfer nine tigers from a private farm in Xuan Tin Commune to Hanoi Zoo for proper care and management.
According to Le Xuan Cai from the Thanh Hoa Forest Protection Department, the move follows a ministry directive in September 2025 requiring tighter supervision of tiger captivity in the province.
During a recent working session, farm owner Nguyen Mau Chien agreed to hand over all nine adult tigers unconditionally to a qualified organisation, with no request for compensation or support.
Records show that in 2007, Chien purchased a litter of tiger cubs, reportedly brought from Laos, and raised them at his home. The litter originally had 15 cubs, weighing about 3-4 kilograms each.
Two died in 2008, and two more in 2010 and 2012, leaving 11 surviving adults. As the tigers grew and posed environmental and safety risks to nearby households, Chien relocated the farm away from residential areas in 2010.
In 2012, local authorities granted the farm a five-year captive breeding licence, which expired in 2017 and has not been renewed since.
Two adult tigers, weighing nearly 400 kilograms in total, died in December 2023 and on September 12, 2024. Authorities attributed the deaths to pneumonia and infected wounds caused by fighting.
The farm currently has nine tigers remaining, three females and six males, with an average weight of around 180 kilograms; the largest weighs nearly 300 kilograms.