Following a tip-off from Tuoi Tre, a joint inspection team in Ho Chi Minh City raided two establishments and rescued 16 animals from rare species that are listed in the Vietnam Red Book.

>> Wild animals found brutally killed, again>> Rescue centre saves smuggled wild animals>> Province releases 89 wild animals to forest On Saturday afternoon, local forestry protection officers and anti-environmental crime police raided a house in Alley 374 of Le Hong Phong Street, District 10 and another house in Alley 201 of Duong Ba Trac Street, District 8. The owners of the houses were simply identified as Gai and Phuong, respectively. Phuong escaped when inspectors entered her establishment. At Gai’s building, inspectors found numerous types of wild life, such as otters, red-ass monkeys, long-tailed monkeys, striped squirrels, porcupines, long-tailed weasels, and pink-headed parrots, among others. Gai said she could sell yellow-cheek gibbons, which are listed in the Vietnam Red Book, for VND25 million (US$1,200) per pair that weighs over 1 kg each. The price is VND20 million per pair of that weighs under 1 kg each. This establishment served as a provider of wild life for another center owned by Gai in Binh Duong Province, which borders HCMC. Like Gai, Phuong also sold wide life of various species, including rare types, such as panthers, yellow-cheek gibbons, eagles, etc. Buyers pay a 20 percent deposit and can take delivery within a week. In talking with Tuoi Tre reporters who pretended to be animal traders, Phuong said she could sell a young yellow spotted panther for VND50 million and an adult yellow spotted panther for VND70-80 million. Vo Van Duc, head of the patrol team of the HCMC Forestry Protection Sub-Department, said all the wild animals at the two establishments have been seized and transported to the sub-department for handling. The 16 seized animals include one sloth-monkey, two pink-headed parrots, two pig-tailed monkey, two long-tailed monkey, four squirrels, two porcupines, two yellow-headed turtles, and a weasel. Some of these animals will be sent to the Wildlife Rescue Station in Cu Chi District for care before being released into the wild, said Nguyen Dinh Cuong, head of the sub-department. Meanwhile, other animals that have a strong reproductive ability, including the -tailed and pig-tailed monkeys, will be transferred to animal centers that have enough facilities to breed and develop them, he said.