On July 22, the Economic Police Division of the Da Nang City Police issued a temporary detention order for three individuals under investigation for trading and transporting endangered wildlife.

The animals in question belong to Group IB – species protected under Vietnam’s Red Data Book and subject to strict conservation measures.

Previously, a resident turned over a suspicious animal to An Khe Ward Police, which had been found among cargo on a coach traveling from Quy Nhon to Da Nang. Suspecting a wildlife crime, the ward police referred the case to the Economic Police for further investigation.

Scientific assessment by the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology later confirmed the animal was a Javan pangolin – a critically endangered and highly protected species.

Authorities documented the case and transferred the animal to the Vinpearl River Safari Nam Hoi An Biodiversity Conservation Center for rescue and care.

Investigators identified Nguyen Van Hoang (born 1993, from Quang Ngai, residing in Ngu Hanh Son Ward, Da Nang), a chef at a local restaurant, as the person who ordered the pangolin to prepare it for patrons.

The two individuals who supplied the pangolin were identified as Huynh Thi Thu Thuy (born 1969) and her husband Tran Duc Ngu (born 1966), both residents of Mo Duc Commune, Quang Ngai Province. The couple are known traders who specialize in sourcing and supplying wild animals to restaurants.

According to authorities, the Javan pangolin is a species strictly banned from hunting, trading, and consumption in any form due to its exceptional ecological value and critically endangered status.

Ho Giap