Wild animals in the mountainous districts of Mekong Delta An Giang and Kien Giang provinces are facing a serious extinction threat because of local hunters looking for meat to sell at local pubs.
Wild birds, turtles, monkeys, squirrels, chameleons and pigs in the mountainous areas in An Giang’s Tinh Bien and Tri Ton districts and elsewhere in Kien Giang’s Kien Luong and Ha Tien districts are being hunted every day.
According to Nguyen Van Lam, a wild animal dealer in Tri Ton District, the animals sell at very high prices. For instance, though turtles sell at VND500,000 (USD23.8) per kilo, he does not have enough supply to export to China.
The turtle has become a rare creature in the area due to the illegal hunting and deforestation.