Tran Thi Hue, 39, from the central province of Quang Ngai’s Binh Son Commune, was found transporting a small-clawed otter from Quang Ngai to Hanoi for sale.
Hue confessed that she had previously purchased the animal from an unidentified man in Quang Ngai for VND 7 million (approximately USD 280) to keep as a pet.
The otter rescued from the illegal trading (Photo by the Ninh Binh police)
However, in recent times, Hue no longer wanted to keep the animal and planned to sell it to recover the money.
Shen then searched otter-related groups on Facebook for potential buyers and eventually arranged to sell the animal to an online account for VND 20 million. While transporting it to Hanoi, she was arrested by the police.
The otter was later handed over to Cuc Phuong National Park in Ninh Binh for health checks and special care.
Under Article 244 of the 2015 Penal Code, as amended in 2017, anyone who hunts, kills, keeps, transports, or trades endangered and rare wildlife species (Group IB) may face criminal charges, with penalties of up to 15 years’ imprisonment and fines of up to VND 1 billion.
