Man arrested for smuggling 7 endangered clouded monitors in southern Vietnam
Saturday, August 24, 2024, 17:21 GMT+7
Police in Ben Cau District, Tay Ninh Province, southern Vietnam have pressed charges against a local man caught smuggling seven endangered clouded monitors on August 15.
Mai Dong Tinh, 28, a resident of Go Dau Town, has been prosecuted for violating regulations on the protection of endangered and rare animals, according to police.
Tinh was apprehended during an anti-smuggling patrol near TMTC Industrial Park in Loi Thuan Commune at 8:10 pm that day.
Upon inspection, officers found seven clouded monitors inside a foam box Tinh was carrying on his motorcycle.
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| Clouded monitors seized by police in Tay Ninh Province, southern Vietnam in the smuggling case. Photo: T.N. |
Tinh was taken to a police agency for questioning, where he confessed that he had been paid VND200,000 (US$8) for delivering the box with the animals inside from a border location in Loi Thuan to the TMTC Industrial Park area.
This case is under further investigation.
The clouded monitor, known scientifically as Varanus nebulosus, is a poikilothermic species widely found across several Southeast Asian countries.
In Vietnam, they are present in some central and Central Highlands provinces like Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, Kon Tum, and Gia Lai.
The reptile belongs to a group of rare and endangered species that need to be preserved.
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