The crocodile is classified as endangered, precious and rare wildlife under strict protection
On December 17, the Tay Ninh Department of Agriculture and Environment issued an administrative penalty of VND 315 million (about USD 12,800) against Nguyen Minh Tuan, 34, from Tam Vu Commune, for illegally keeping a saltwater crocodile without documents proving its legal origin.
The species, scientific name Crocodylus porosus, is classified as endangered, precious and rare wildlife under strict protection. Any illegal keeping, transport or trade is subject to penalties under Vietnamese law.
Authorities also confiscated the crocodile enclosure, measuring 2.5 metres by 3 metres, which was made of steel frames and B40 wire mesh.
The decision followed an incident on October 27, when the crocodile escaped from its enclosure, entered a canal and bit the leg of a man who was fishing. Local residents later killed the crocodile and took the injured man to hospital for emergency treatment.
After learning of the attack, Tuan went to the scene and realised the crocodile was his. He took the dead animal home to process it and visited the victim in hospital to offer to cover medical and treatment costs.
Investigators said that about four years earlier, Tuan had seen a post on social media from a hobbyist offering to give away a long-snouted crocodile because he no longer wanted to keep it. Tuan met the person at Cho Lon Bus Station in Ho Chi Minh City, received the crocodile weighing about 4 to 4.5kg, and brought it home as a pet. Before escaping, the crocodile weighed about 6 to 7kg.
Checks found that the animal had no legal origin, was not registered with forest rangers and was kept in an unsafe enclosure. When the crocodile escaped, Tuan also failed to report the incident to authorities.
The Tay Ninh forest protection department said it would step up inspections in residential areas, farms and border zones to detect and strictly handle illegal wildlife keeping and trading, contributing to biodiversity conservation and the protection of rare species.