According to the provincial Forest Protection Department, the seizure was made late on May 28 after authorities received a tip-off about suspected illegal wildlife transportation.
A task force was deployed to an area near the rear entrance of Ba Den Mountain, where officers intercepted a local resident transporting wildlife on a motorcycle pulling a trailer.
Inspectors discovered 127 kilogrammes of frozen Ba Den bent-toed geckos, commonly known as Ba Den Mountain lizards. The suspect told authorities he was transporting the animals for sale.
At the time of inspection, the man was unable to provide documents proving the legal origin of the geckos and admitted to illegally transporting the animals.
Authorities have confiscated the geckos and the vehicle involved pending further investigation.
According to the Tay Ninh Forest Protection Department, the species occurs naturally in the Ba Den Mountain Special-Use Forest.
Authorities have urged residents not to hunt, trade or transport wildlife, warning that such activities violate Vietnamese law.
The department said it would continue strengthening patrols and inspections to combat wildlife trafficking and protect local biodiversity.
According to the management board of Ba Den Mountain National Tourist Area, five lizard species have been recorded in the area, four of which are endemic to Vietnam.
Several species are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as threatened with extinction, including two species found only on Ba Den Mountain.
The Ba Den bent-toed gecko is currently classified as Vulnerable, while the black-eyed bent-toed gecko (Cyrtodactylus nigriocularis) is listed as Critically Endangered.
Authorities warned that illegal hunting and trapping, including destructive capture methods, have significantly reduced wild populations in recent years and pose a growing threat to the survival of these endemic species.
