The Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will take measures to deal with the illegal trade in rhino horn, including the management of importing rhino horn hunting 'trophies'.
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Vietnam will build specific regulations on the management rhino horn imported into Vietnam.
Authorities in Vietnam said they will join hands with their partners in South Africa to deal with the transfer of the horns.
According to a recent report, 90% of rhino horns hunted in South Africa are imported by Vietnam, yet there is scant evidence of any export data, implying that huge amounts of the endangered species’ horn is being used by Vietnamese buyers as a post-drinking hangover health tonic.
According to the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC, between 2003 and 2010, South Africa licensed the export of 657 rhino horn trophies to Vietnam, however Vietnamese customs authorities claim they only have records of 170 such imports. This means that the remaining horns, estimated at USD2 million in value have evading import duties.
South Africa now only allows each hunter to carry out one hunt per year. Since May 2012, the South African Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has halted licensing Vietnamese hunters. Between July 2009 and May 2012, more than 180 Vietnamese out of a total of 384 people worldwide conducted 400 legal hunts for rhino horns.
During the 2013 and 2014, Vietnam will join hands TRACE to build a lab for wild animals. The lab will assist wild animal-related inspections and also provide DNA samples for a rhino horn database.
