Region: Viet Nam

“There is no future in this dog meat industry,” says farmer Kim

Humane Society International / Global

Jean Chung/for HSI Dogs are shown locked in a cage at a dog meat farm in Hongseong, South Korea, on Saturday, February 8, 2020.

SEOUL—More than 70 dogs found languishing on a South Korean dog meat farm by animal charity Humane Society International have been given a second chance by the farmer’s decision to quit the dog meat industry once and for all. Mr. Nakseon Kim has been breeding dogs for nearly 40 years, but he jumped at the chance to leave dog farming behind when HSI offered to help him start a new life growing cabbages and other vegetables instead.

Amid growing South Korean opposition to eating dogs and a series of new regulations and court rulings cracking down on the industry, farmers like Mr. Kim are increasingly looking for an exit strategy but with one request – to save their dogs. After years of sending the animals to slaughter, Mr. Kim is not the first farmer to be relieved to learn that HSI rescues, rehabilitates and seeks happy homes for all the dogs.

“It may sound odd but I started dog farming because I like dogs,” said Mr. Kim, “I’ve never actually been a big fan of dog meat myself. I had a few dogs so I began breeding them and when I had 20 or 30 I started to sell them because I thought it would be good money but it hasn’t really worked out that way. I earn nothing from this dog farm, and pressure from the government is increasing and it’s not a good business at all.”

On his property in Hongseong, Mr. Kim breeds tosas, Jindos, poodles, beagles, huskies, golden retrievers, Pomeranians, Chihuahuas and Boston terriers for two abusive industries – the meat trade and the puppy mill trade. In rows of dilapidated cages, surrounded by animal waste, junk and garbage, some dogs are destined for the slaughterhouse, and others the unscrupulous puppy mill trade. Despite Korea’s dog meat industry attempting to claim a difference between pet dogs and “meat dogs”, the reality is they are all just dogs whose fate ultimately depends on where greatest profits can be made.

Nara Kim, HSI/Korea’s dog meat campaigner, said: “Unfortunately, it is still very common in South Korea to see live puppies for sale in pet shop windows. But what most Koreans will be shocked to learn is that these same puppies could easily have ended up being killed for human consumption instead. Whether they live or die, they are all born in this miserable place, their mothers intensively bred over and over until they are exhausted and eventually sold to slaughterhouses. I’m so glad that this nightmare has ended for these lovely dogs, but until the government commits to phase out this dreadful industry, the nightmare continues for millions more. As Koreans we need to be their voice and call for an end to the dog farming and dog meat industries.”

Marking the 16th dog farm that HSI has closed since its farmer transition program began in 2015, all the dogs will eventually be flown to partner shelters in Canada and the United States to seek adoptive homes. First, they are being relocated to a temporary boarding facility in South Korea while the organization waits for COVID-19 travel restrictions to relax. Once safely off the farm, the dogs will immediately receive a full veterinary check-up and settle into their temporary quarters where they can begin their rehabilitation.

HSI hopes its model for change will hasten an end to the controversial and cruel industry by demonstrating to the Korean government that a farmer-supported phase out of farms can work.

Mr. Kim said: “It’s too much work and I’ve got too old to be doing this for no profit. I just want to get some rest from all of this now. I’ve had enough, especially now that I have to pay for dog food since the local school decided to stop giving me free kitchen waste. I don’t think there are many people in South Korea who are willing to run dog meat farms anymore. There is no future in this dog meat industry. Once HSI helps me close my dog farm, I think I will start to grow crops instead like lettuce, cabbage, or other greens to sell to restaurants. That’s a business with a future.”

Dog meat consumption has been steadily declining in South Korea, and is banned or severely restricted in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines. In 2018 both Indonesia and Vietnam’s capital city Hanoi pledged an end to the dog meat trade, and most recently in April 2020 the Chinese cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai banned dog and cat meat consumption following a public statement by the Chinese government that dogs are considered companions and not livestock. As global pressure builds for countries across Asia to permanently close wildlife wet markets amid coronavirus risks, the array of undeniable human health risks posed by the dog meat trade in South Korea and across Asia, is strengthening calls for action across the continent.

Facts:   

  • Up to 2 million dogs a year are bred and raised on thousands of dog meat farms across South Korea.
  • Dog meat consumption is declining in South Korea, particularly among younger generations, and most Koreans don’t eat it regularly. A June 2018 survey by Gallup Korea showed that 70% of South Koreans say they will not eat dog meat in future. Still, dog meat remains popular during the Bok days of summer in July and August based on its perceived curative properties during the hot and humid summer months.
  • There has been a series of recent crackdowns by authorities to curb the dog meat industry. In November 2018, HSI/Korea assisted Seongnam City Council in shutting down Taepyeong dog slaughterhouse (the country’s largest dog slaughterhouse), followed in July 2019 by the closure of Gupo dog meat market in Busan (South Korea’s second largest dog meat market after Moran market, which has also closed), and a declaration in October last year by the mayor of Seoul that the city is “dog slaughter free”. Most recently, last November HSI’s partner group Korea Animal Rights Advocates (KARA) won a Supreme Court case against a dog farmer who electrocuted dogs in violation of the Animal Protection Act, a judgement that could have huge implications for an industry that relies almost entirely on this brutal and protracted killing method.
  • HSI has rescued more than 2,000 dogs from South Korea’s meat industry. At each dog meat farm closure, HSI has a veterinarian test for the presence of the H3N2 virus (“canine influenza”), at the time the dogs receive their rabies, DHPP and coronavirus vaccines. HSI also vaccinates the dogs for distemper and parvo. HSI then quarantines the dogs on the farm or at a shelter for at least 30 days, and the dogs are health certified again prior to transport overseas.

Download broll video and photos of the rescue.

ENDS

Media contacts
United Kingdom and international media: Wendy Higgins, whiggins@hsi.org, +44 (0)7989 972 423
United States: Nancy Hwa, nhwa@hsi.org, 1-202-596-0808
South Korea: Nara Kim, nkim@hsi.org

Indonesia, India, Vietnam among countries where wild animal markets pose a disease risk

Humane Society International / Global

Masked man in Hong Kong market
Jayne Russell/ZUMA Wire/Alamy Live News

WASHINGTON —Wildlife campaigners across the globe from animal charity Humane Society International have called for an urgent worldwide ban on the wildlife trade after China’s announcement that it will prohibit the buying and selling of wild animals for food in light of the mounting threat associated with coronavirus. The capture, market trade, and butchery of wild animal species for human consumption happens across large parts of Asia and Africa such as Indonesia, India, Vietnam, and West, Central and East Africa, as well as in Latin America, says HSI, posing a very real threat of spreading zoonotic and potentially fatal diseases. Governments around the world must take China’s lead and shut down this trade for good. HSI leadership in South Africa, Nepal, India, South Korea, Canada, the United States, Australia, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, the United Kingdom, Honduras, El Salvador and Costa Rica have joined the call for global action.

Jeffrey Flocken, HSI president, says: “China has taken decisive action to halt the wildlife trade for human consumption implicated in the global coronavirus crisis, but it would be a grave mistake for us to think that the threat is isolated to China. The capture and consumption of wild animals is a global trade that causes immense suffering for hundreds of thousands of animals every year, including endangered wildlife species being traded to the brink of extinction. The trade can also spawn global health crises like the current coronavirus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and the deadly bird flu. Wildlife markets across the globe, but particularly in Asia and Africa, are widespread and could easily be the start of disease outbreaks in the future.”

In the north eastern states of India, wild species such as the Chinese pangolin and several species of wild birds are routinely sold for human consumption. Bengal monitor lizard meat is also consumed across India, driven mainly by the superstitious belief that the fat stored in the tail can cure arthritis, and meat from the Indian flap-shell turtle is also popular across the country, despite both species being listed under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. In some north Indian states, owl eyes are also consumed for their perceived medicinal benefits for human vision.

Indonesia also has hundreds of “extreme” animal markets where the conditions are the same as those described by scientists as the perfect breeding ground for new and deadly zoonotic viruses, such as coronaviruses. Wild animals are sold and slaughtered in public and unsanitary conditions. The trade takes place alongside that of dogs and cats which itself has already been shown to pose a risk of rabies transmission. In January this year, Humane Society International wrote to Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo as part of the Dog Meat Free Indonesia coalition, calling for urgent measures to ensure that Indonesia does not become the next point of origin of a deadly virus by tackling the risk posed by these animal markets.

Mr. Flocken adds: “We already know that dog and cat meat markets in Indonesia are a hotbed for disease transmission, and we also know from our investigations that rabies-positive dogs are being sold and slaughtered for consumption in these markets. Given that dogs are caged and slaughtered alongside wild animals such as snakes, bats and rats, Indonesia must surely take preventative measures now to ensure it does not become the next point of origin of a deadly virus. Similar risks can be observed in wild animal markets across the globe and especially in Asia and Africa. The trade in wildlife is a global crisis that calls for global action, now.”

Wild meat consumption is also an issue in Vietnam where wild pig, goat and bird species are eaten as well as softshell turtle, bear, snake, pangolin and civet, and snake wine is also consumed. A number of studies conducted in recent years reveal that a significant percentage of the Vietnamese population consumes wild animals.

Bush meat, including that derived from primates, is still consumed in many parts of Africa. Earlier this month, the Tanzanian government endorsed the establishment of butcheries specifically for the bushmeat trade. And in South Africa, approximately 12,000 lions are captive bred in deplorable conditions, to facilitate the export of lion skeletons to Southeast Asia for tiger bone wine. Lions are hosts for the tuberculosis (TB) virus, which can survive in bones ground to powder.

In Guatemala and El Salvador, meat from crocodile, iguana and other reptiles is often eaten during Lent despite it being illegal to do so.

This week, the National People’s Congress, the Chinese national legislature, elevated an originally temporary ban on wildlife trade for human consumption from an administrative action to the level of a national law. Specifically, the announcement, issued as an emergency measure, creates a comprehensive ban on the trade in terrestrial wild animals bought and sold for food, including those who are bred or reared in captivity.

Download video footage of Indonesia’s wild animal and dog/cat meat markets here: https://www.dropbox.com/home/Indonesia%20Extreme%20Markets

ENDS

Media contact: Wendy Higgins whiggins@hsi.org

World’s most illegally trafficked mammal in grave danger of extinction

Humane Society International / United States

Natural History Media/Alamy Stock photo

WASHINGTON— Wildlife conservation groups sued the Trump administration today to force officials to propose Endangered Species Act protections for critically imperiled pangolins.

Today’s lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service notes that pangolins, which inhabit Asia and Africa, are in grave danger of extinction. A massive demand for their scales, erroneously believed to have curative properties in East Asian medicine, and their meat, consumed as a delicacy in some Asian countries, has fueled their decline.

“These odd, adorable animals may look like pinecones with legs, but the massive trafficking in pangolin parts is no joke,” said Sarah Uhlemann, international program director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “If poachers keep killing thousands of pangolins a week, they’ll disappear in decades. The Trump administration needs to help protect these unique creatures from exploitation and extinction.”

The world’s only mammal with scales, pangolins are also the world’s most trafficked mammals. Between 2004 and 2014, more than a million were illegally traded — an average of nearly 300 animals killed per day. Despite a 2016 ban on the international commercial trade in pangolin parts, several massive seizures in Singapore, Malaysia and China in 2019, representing tens of thousands of dead pangolins, show rampant illegal trade continues.

“The United States’ delay in listing these species belies its role as a leader in combating poaching worldwide,” said Adam Peyman, programs and operations manager for Humane Society International and co-author of the 2015 listing petition. “The U.S. market for pangolin products feeds poaching and trafficking in the countries where the animals are found. By giving all pangolin species the Endangered Species Act protection they desperately need, the Fish and Wildlife Service will have the tools it needs to stop U.S. trade in pangolin parts.”

While most illegally sourced pangolins are destined for markets in China and Vietnam, the United States also drives demand. At least 26,000 imports of pangolin products were seized in the United States between 2004 and 2013, and a 2015 report by Humane Society International found “medicinal” products containing or likely to contain pangolin parts openly for sale online and at U.S. stores.

“Pangolins cruelly suffer and die for their meat and the so-called medicinal properties of their scales. It is past time for the Fish and Wildlife Service to take action to prevent the illegal trade and eventual extinction of this species,” said Angela Grimes, CEO of Born Free USA.

One pangolin species, the Temminck’s ground pangolin, is already protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. In July 2015 wildlife groups petitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service to list the other seven pangolin species. The law required the Service to either propose protections or find protections “not warranted” by July 2016, more than three and a half years ago.

“The Trump administration should get with the program and do its part to save pangolins.” said Elly Pepper, deputy director of international wildlife conservation at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “With scientists predicting the extinction of over one million species, the time for transformative change is now. We must rein in destructive consumption patterns like those decimating pangolins.”

Today’s suit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. If pangolins are protected as endangered, the law would prohibit the import and interstate sale of pangolin parts in the United States, except for scientific or other conservation purposes. Listing would also heighten global awareness about pangolins and their threats and make funding available for anti-trafficking and habitat conservation efforts.

Contacts:

Humane Society International / Global

CITES

GENEVA—Tropical rainforests in Central America will continue to be plundered for tiny translucent glass frogs to supply the pet trade in Europe and elsewhere, after a proposal for international trade controls failed at the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), largely due to the 28 countries in the European Union voting against protections. Glass frogs have become popular in the pet trade due to their unique transparent skin which shows their internal organs. The proposal to give glass frogs Appendix II protection lost by just one vote, and animal protection charity Humane Society International hopes there may yet be a chance to secure the necessary votes in plenary later this week.

The European Union is a key destination for amphibian and reptile species such as glass frogs, iguanas and geckos—animals that are popular in the exotic pet trade. This trade is often illegal and, even when it is legal, is harmful to wild populations. More than 30,000 live reptiles were confiscated from the EU between 2001 and 2010, and glass frogs are regularly sold on the internet and at reptile and amphibian fairs in Europe. Yet, despite the European Union’s role as a major consumer of glass frogs, the voting bloc failed to support protections for animals negatively impacted by European demand.

The proposal from Costa Rica, El Salvador and Honduras to give trade protections to 104 species of glass frogs received  overwhelming support from the  majority of other countries that are home to the species in Latin America, but failed to reach the 2/3 majority required to be successful. It was opposed by the 28 countries in the EU.

Grettel Delgadillo, deputy director of Humane Society International/Latin America, says: “The international pet trade threatens the very survival of glass frogs and many newt species such as the crocodile newt and Asian warty newt, which are also collected for food. Glass frogs are astonishingly beautiful, almost entirely transparent creatures which is why they have soared in popularity in recent years, regularly advertised for sale on the internet for buyers in the United States and Europe. Yet this trade is slowly killing off populations so it is a major blow to conservation efforts on the ground and around the world that CITES parties failed to better protect these creatures. This failure is in large part due to the European Union’s shameful opposition; the EU is a huge consumer of glass frogs for the pet trade and therefore directly contributes to this species’ demise.”

A proposal by China, Viet Nam and the European Union seeking to protect 40 currently unlisted newt species also in high demand for the pet trade succeeded.

Humane Society International commends the proponent governments for seeking to bring the greedy pet trade in amphibians under CITES control but regrets the EU did not see fit to give CITES protection to the glass frogs.

The decisions will need to be approved in a plenary session at the CITES meeting on August 27/28.

ENDS

Media contacts:

 

 

Humane Society International / Europe

Rhino and baby

Brussels – Humane Society International/Europe and Humane Society International/Vietnam have cautiously welcomed the signing of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement in Hanoi on Sunday 30 June. While this trade deal offers little beyond cooperation, technical assistance and capacity building with respect to advancing animal welfare, it does have significant potential to protect wildlife, if resourced adequately.

Dr Joanna Swabe, HSI/Europe’s senior director of public affairs said:

“It is encouraging that the EU has succeeded in negotiating a trade deal that goes beyond the usual boilerplate commitments from the Parties to properly implement and enforce multilateral environmental agreements. The inclusion of provisions that require both the EU and Vietnam to actively take effective measures to reduce illegal wildlife trade, such as awareness raising campaigns, monitoring and enforcement measures, is an incredibly helpful tool to aid the global fight against wildlife trafficking. Likewise, we welcome the explicit commitment in the agreement to enhance cooperation between the Parties to increase species protection through proposing new listings on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) appendices. This move could help protect a variety of species from over-exploitation to supply, for example, the exotic pet trade. In this regard, we applaud the EU and Vietnam for already starting this cooperation by submitting proposals to list various salamander, gecko and newt species on CITES Appendix II at the upcoming COP18 meeting that will be held in Geneva this August.”

Phuong Tham, executive director of HSI/Vietnam added:

“Vietnam used to be one of the top countries rich in biological diversity. Unfortunately,  Vietnam is facing “empty/silence forests” due to habitat loss, massive poaching and illegal wildlife trade   originating from within or outside of our borders. Recent research indicates that Vietnam continues to serve as a source, consumer and transit country for the illegal wildlife trade (IWT). Limited enforcement capacity, equipment, resources and lack of cooperation among enforcement agencies are some of the key reasons why much wildlife trade goes unregulated and laws enforcement is not strong enough to combat wildlife crime. HSI/Vietnam hopes that, as a result of this trade agreement, the EU can help provide financial support for our government’s efforts to help curb the trade in wildlife products and to assist with demand reduction and enforcement by providing Vietnam with the training and tools it needs through development cooperation.”

Once the EU-Viet Nam trade agreement provisionally enters into force, both HSI/Europe and HSI/Vietnam intend to apply to join the respective Domestic Advisory Groups that will be established to allow civil society representatives to monitor the implementation of this free trade agreement.

Facts

  • In August 2018, the EU and Vietnam agreed on final texts for the EU-Vietnam trade and investment agreements. The agreement has finally been signed following endorsement by the Council of the European Union. Once the European Parliament has given its consent to the agreement, it can fully enter into force.
  • The Trade and Sustainable Development Chapter of the EU-Vietnam agreement includes commitments to the proper implementation and enforcement of multilateral environmental agreements, as well as provisions aiming to protect biodiversity and reduce illegal wildlife trade through information exchange on strategies, policy initiatives, programmes, action plans and consumer awareness campaigns, plus a commitment to enhance cooperation to increase species protection through proposing new CITES listings.
  • The EU and Vietnam have already jointly submitted proposals for the upcoming CITES COP18 meeting to list the follow reptile and amphibian species on CITES Appendix II:
    • All 13 species of gecko (genus Goniurosaura) distributed in China and Vietnam, including three endemic to Vietnam: G. catbanensis, G. huulienensis and G lichtenfelderi;
    • 13 species of salamander (Paramesotriton) distributed in Vietnam and China, including a famous native species found primarily in Tam Dao national park, Paramesotriton deloustali;
    • Many species of newts, known as crocodile newts or knobby newts (Tylototriton) distributed in Southeast Asia and China, including one endemic to Vietnam, Tylototriton vietnamensis.
  • Rhino horn is valued in countries like China and Vietnam for purported medicinal benefits, although there is no scientific evidence to back these claims. Horn can be sold for high prices on the black market, but there are indications that the price has fallen recently in Vietnam, thanks in part to a campaign to reduce rhino horn demand launched in 2013 by HSI and the Vietnamese government.The multi-faceted campaign has reached an estimated 34 million people – approximately one third of the national population.
  • In 2016, HSI arranged the first-ever Pangolin Range States Meeting, co-hosted by the governments of Vietnam and the United States, and attended by over thirty pangolin range states in Vietnam. In September 2018, HSI in partnership with Forestry Administration of Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development conducted a national consultation to develop one National Action Plan on Pangolin Conservation.
  • Since early 2019, HSI, in partnership with Dong Nai Forest Protection Department and Department of Forest Protected Areas under Forestry Administration of Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, has been implementing a project in Dong Nai to prevent and mitigate Human Elephant Conflict in a humane manner.

The Asia for Animals coalition has written to Samsung and Canon asking them to use their economic influence to force government action.

Humane Society International / Viet Nam

NEM THUONG, BAC NINH, Vietnam — Animal welfare campaigners are urging global companies such as Samsung and Canon to take a strong stand against a gruesome Lunar New Year festival in Vietnam in which live pigs are tied up and paraded around the streets before being chopped in half with machetes. Provincial authorities are set to allow the Nem Thuong Pig Chopping Festival to take place in Bac Ninh province on February 10 despite condemnation from local and international charities, as well as the central Vietnamese government and the general public in the country.

The Asia for Animals coalition of 18 international and Asian animal protection groups has written to leading corporate investors in Bac Ninh province urging them to apply economic pressure to help end the bloody tradition. Industry is a mainstay of the Bac Ninh economy with scores of multinational corporations investing in the province’s many industrial parks. Samsung and Canon are two of the biggest players with Foxconn, PepsiCo and Nokia also present.

This month, the capital city of Hanoi announced it will set up a 24-hour hotline for the general public to report “offensive” or “violent” Lunar New Year festivals in a move which may bring more pressure to bear on rogue events such as the Nem Thuong Pig Chopping ritual.

Animals Asia Animal Welfare Officer Nguyen Tam Thanh said: “The public, the media and the central government want this violent ritual to end, but the Bac Ninh authorities are refusing to take action. Now we’re asking the province’s leading commercial players to apply economic pressure and help them see sense.

“Continuing this barbaric ritual is totally at odds with Vietnamese culture and the tradition of New Year. It negatively impacts society, animal welfare and the country’s image abroad. Animal cruelty cannot be part of modern Vietnamese culture.”

The gory spectacle has been decried by the central Vietnamese government with the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism enacting a regulation in 2016 that all “outdated” and “uncivilised” festivals should end. So far this mandate has resulted in halting numerous “buffalo stabbing” and buffalo fighting festivals across the country. Yet the Bac Ninh provincial government, which has the authority to end the extreme animal cruelty which takes place in Nem Thuong village, has remained defiant and allowed the gory spectacle to continue.

The letters from the Asia for Animals coalition, sent on January 10, ask both Samsung and Canon to speak with both the Bac Ninh People’s Committee and the Bac Ninh Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism to finally end the bloody spectacle.

Phuong Tham, Humane Society International’s Vietnam Director said: “Most people in Vietnam don’t want to see this type of animal cruelty spectacle go ahead, particularly the younger Vietnamese who share the global concern for animal welfare and believe that cruelty has no place in a modern Vietnam. The pig chopping festival is brutal and unnecessary, subjecting pigs to a terrifying ordeal and cruel slaughter. Our message is clear, go ahead with a New Year festival but replace the animal suffering with a cruelty-free ritual that everyone can enjoy. Let’s have a new culture of compassion for animals.”

Samsung’s Global Sustainability Strategy claims it aims to “take on a stronger responsibility as a global citizen to create social values”, a claim Asia for Animals believes means it has a responsibility to oppose the cruel Nem Thuong pig chopping ritual.

The coalition also highlights Canon Vietnam’s philosophy of “Kyosey”, in which “All people, regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously live and work together into the future”. Asia for Animals has called on Canon Vietnam to expand this philosophy to all non-human animals and to help develop positive social values which benefit both people and animals.

To date, neither company has responded to the letters.

Download images from last year’s festival here.

For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Viet Nam:
Mai Nguyen maitn@hsi.org
Humane Society International/Vietnam

United Kingdom:
Wendy Higgins
Director of International Media, Humane Society International
+44 (0)7989 972 423 whiggins@hsi.org

United States:
Lisa Agabian
Head of Communications, Animals Asia Foundation
+1 (310) 422 -6106 lagabian@animalsasia.org

Notes to editors:

The Asia for Animals (AfA) Coalition is an alliance of 21 well -known and respected animal
Protection organisations with a shared focus on improving the welfare of animals in Asia.
The coalition works with 600 supporting organisations to raise awareness of the issues which
impact upon the welfare of animals across Asia and advocate for campaigns aimed at improving animal welfare or ending the exploitation and suffering of animals.

Humane Society International

Humane Society International / Viet Nam

Participants take part at HSI’s farm animal roundtable in Vietnam. Trang Dang

In a pioneering effort by Vietnam’s food industry, representatives from some of the leading food service and hospitality companies around the world met today with Vietnamese egg and pork producers interested in supplying higher welfare cage-free eggs and crate-free pork. Humane Society International, in partnership with Nong Lam University, hosted the roundtable to discuss the growing shift in Vietnam’s food sector towards higher animal welfare products.

The roundtable, which took place at the Pullman Saigon Centre in Ho Chi Minh City, brought together Accor Hotels, Sodexo and Marriott International, along with government officials, and egg and pork farmers from Tien Giang province. In response to consumer concerns about the treatment of animals, a growing number of food companies are ending the caged confinement hens and breeding pigs from their supply chains globally, including in Vietnam.

Trang Dang, HSI Vietnam campaign manager for farm animals, said: “We’re excited to bring together food service providers, restaurants, hospitality chains, egg producers and government officials to plan the transition to cage-free eggs and crate-free pork in Vietnam. This is the first step towards improving the welfare of millions of animals raised for food in the country, and we look forward to engaging more stakeholders in the food industry in this effort moving forward.”

Support Farm Animals.

Dr. Nguyen Quang Thieu, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine from Nong Lam University issued the following statement: “As a part of the university goals and mission, we aim to educate students with knowledge on animal welfare as they will become the future of Vietnam’s agriculture industry. We’re glad to partner with Humane Society International on this informative workshop, which is a great initial on spreading animal welfare to the public.”

In Vietnam and around the world, breeding sows are often confined for most of their lives in gestation crates, individual metal cages barely larger than their bodies, preventing them from turning around and taking more than a few steps forward and backward. Egg-laying hens also spend their entire lives confined in wire battery cages, so small that they cannot even fully spread their wings. Science confirms what common sense tells us: the lack of space and restriction of movement is detrimental to the physical health of these animals and causes enormous frustration and suffering.

However, advocates for better animal welfare are making progress around the world. The use of conventional battery cages for laying hens is banned or being phased out under laws or regulations throughout the EU, in five U.S. states, in New Zealand, Bhutan and in the Australian Capital Territory. Officials in the majority of states in India, the world’s third largest egg producer, have declared that the use of battery cages violates the country’s animal welfare legislation, and the country is debating a national ban.

Media contact:
In Vietnam: Trang Dang, Trangd@humanesociety.org
In the U.S.: Raul Arce-Contreras, rcontreras@humanesociety.org, +1 301-721-6440

Humane Society International / Viet Nam

Southern White Rhino

Humane Society International/Vietnam is calling on the South African government to honor its commitment to protect rhinos by refusing permits for an online auction of rhinoceros horns that appears to be targeting buyers from the world’s two largest destinations for trafficked rhino horn, China and Viet Nam.

The auction to be held on 21st August is by John Hume, the world’s largest rhino farmer, and the auction website has both a Vietnamese and Chinese language option in addition to English. HSI believes there is a significant risk that horns from this auction, even if purchased legally in South Africa, may end up being trafficked to Asian consumer markets by organized criminal syndicates. The South African government estimates that a rhino is killed for its horn about every eight hours in South Africa, largely to satisfy black market demand in Vietnam and China.

The horn to be auctioned is ‘trimmed’ from Hume’s 1,500 farmed rhino, and purportedly aimed at the domestic rhino horn trade which is now legal following a ruling in April by South Africa’s constitutional court, lifting a 2009 ban. However, in light of the suspicious language options on the site, the Vietnamese government has reiterated in an official statement that according to Vietnamese law, rhino horn purchased at this auction could not be legally exported to Vietnam for commercial, medical or personal purposes.

Manh Tien Vuong, deputy director of the Vietnam CITES Management Authority, said: “According to Decision 11/2013/QD-TTg dated 24/01/2013, Vietnam prohibits all trade in white and black rhinoceroses and their products with only narrow exceptions for purposes such as law enforcement, political, scientific research, and zoological display.”

This auction comes at a time when rhino poaching is at crisis point, with poachers killing 1,054 rhinos in South Africa last year, according to the government. HSI believes that any trade such as this auction will encourage poaching, and that any exported horns will be difficult if not impossible to monitor. Horns illegally obtained through poaching can all too easily be laundered into the legal market, circumventing efforts to protect threatened rhino populations.

Phuong Hong Tham, executive director of HSI/Vietnam, said, “Amidst an ongoing rhinoceros poaching crisis, HSI and the government of Viet Nam have been cooperating successfully to reduce demand for rhino horn within Vietnam. While this auction seems intent on targeting Vietnamese and Chinese nationals, HSI stands with the government of Vietnam in sending a strong message that rhino horn has no medicinal benefits, consumption and ownership of it contributes only to the extinction of rhinos, and those caught smuggling rhino horn into Vietnam will face up to 15 years in prison. We hope that the South African government will play its part by denying permits for this auction to go ahead.”

Regulations to manage South Africa’s recently-legalized domestic trade in rhino horn still do not exist, and the proposed regulations rely too heavily on provincial South African authorities that have historically been wrought with corruption.

HSI/Africa’s executive director, Audrey Delsink, says: “South Africa’s legalised domestic rhino horn trade is a disaster waiting to happen. The proposed system will be all too easily taken advantage of by poachers and traffickers, who can bribe corrupt officials to launder horns from poached rhinos into the legal market. It is in the best interest of both South Africa and Vietnam, and of course the future survival of rhinos, that this auction does not proceed. It sends entirely the wrong message about trade in rhino horn, and threatens to undermine years of work by the government of Vietnam, Humane Society International and others to reduce demand in rhino horn.”

Become a wildlife defender today.

Facts:

  • With only about 29,000 rhinos of five species remaining in the wild, and poaching of these iconic animals for their horns continuing to escalate, rhinos are facing a crisis. Over the past decade, poachers killed more than 6,000 rhinos across Africa, with more than 1,054 poached in 2016 alone.
  • While the moratorium on domestic trade in rhino horn within South Africa was overturned in 2016, international commercial trade in rhinos and their products is still prohibited under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
  • Rhino horn is valued in countries like China and Vietnam for purported medicinal benefits, although there is no scientific evidence to back these claims. Horn can be sold for high prices on the black market, but there are indications that the price has fallen recently in Vietnam, thanks in part to a campaign to reduce rhino horn demand by HSI and the Vietnamese government.
  • HSI has been working with the government of Vietnam since 2013 on a national, government-led campaign to reduce demand for rhino horn in the country. The multi-faceted campaign has reached an estimated 34 million people—approximately one third of the national population.

Media contacts:

South Africa: Audrey Delsink, Executive Director: HSI-Africa adelsink@hsi.org
United Kingdom: Wendy Higgins, Director of International Media, whiggins@hsi.org  +44 (0)7989 972 423
Vietnam: Tham Thi Hong Phuong, phuongth@hsi.org, +84(0)9120 73698
USA: Raúl Arce-Contreras, rcontreras@humanesociety.org, + 1-301-721-6440

Humane Society International / Viet Nam

The free-range egg farm at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay

Humane Society International/Vietnam praised Six Senses Ninh Van Bay for becoming the first resort in Vietnam to have its own free-range egg farm. The resort’s farm will help its customers learn about a more humane alternative to intensive confinement egg production.

The new egg farm provides the hens with a quality of life well above that experienced by most laying hens in Vietnam. The majority of egg-laying hens in the country spend their lives crowded into small wire cages, known as battery cages, which do not give the birds sufficient space to walk or even stretch their wings.

Ngoc Nguyen, sustainability supervisor for Six Senses Ninh Van Bay, said, “Six Senses Ninh Van Bay aims to provide the highest quality experience to our guests, and our new free-range egg farm is one way we do this. Not only do we believe the quality of the food is enhanced when hens are given space to roam, but our guests will appreciate Six Senses respecting nature by providing a place for hens to perform their natural behaviors.”

At Six Senses Ninh Van Bay, the chickens on their farm can move about freely within a large yard or take cover in a spacious indoor enclosure, and can engage in natural behavior such as foraging outdoors, perching and nesting.

Trang Dang, HSI’s campaign manager for farm animals in Vietnam, said, “We urge consumers to do more research on the origins of their eggs, and avoid purchasing eggs produced in farms that use battery cages. By promoting the concept of free-range eggs, the resort provides valuable information to their guests so they can make a better choice for animals.”

The resort also adopts “Green Monday Vietnam”, a program that encourages their guests to eliminate meat once a week, on Monday, and opt for other delicious, healthy plant-based options. This is a part of a global movement supported by HSI that aims to promote a healthier, more sustainable and more compassionate community.

HSI works with governments, farmers, and other stakeholders in the egg, meat, and dairy sectors to end the extreme confinement of animals in cages and crates, and improve the overall welfare of farm animals. We can all stand up for animals every time we sit down to eat by reducing the number of animal products we eat, replacing them with plant based products or animal products from sources that adhere to higher animal welfare standards when possible.

Facts:

  • In 2013, Vietnam had 71.5 million hens and produced 7.8 billion eggs, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization.
  • While Vietnam has many small-scale free-range producers, the number of large industrial facilities, in which battery cages are still in use, is increasing.
  • There is no legislation banning or restricting the confinement of egg-laying hens in cages in Vietnam, though a number of global food companies have committed to using only cage-free eggs, including for their operations in Vietnam, such as Accor Hotels, Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts and Marriott International

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