Police in Lao Cai Province have charged a man with violating regulations on the protection of endangered, precious and rare wildlife after he was allegedly caught transporting a severed bear paw.
Authorities identified the suspect as Nguyen Van Quyet, 54, from Cam Duong Ward. The decision to prosecute was announced on July 10.
Nguyen Van Quyet at the police station (Photo: Lao Cai Police).
According to investigators, officers from Cam Duong Ward Police stopped Nguyen Van Quyet at about 5.50 pm on May 13 and found him carrying a cardboard box containing a bear paw measuring approximately 20cm by 11cm.
During questioning, Nguyen Van Quyet told investigators that an unidentified man had hired him to deliver the animal body part to another person in exchange for VND 1 million (about USD 38).
Following the seizure, Cam Duong Ward Police worked with specialist units to investigate the case. A forensic examination confirmed that the seized specimen was the paw of an Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus), an endangered species protected under Vietnamese law.