Seventy pangolins have been kept in net bags at Ninh Binh's Cuc Phuong National Park instead of being released to their habitat after being rescued from wildlife traffickers in August.
The pangolins at the Cuc Phuong National Park — Photo Save Viet Nam's Wildlife
The pangolins have not yet been set free because regulations bar their release until after the court has issued a final judgement in the trafficking case, a representative of the Nature Conservation Department said yesterday.
However, the case is still being processed, he said.
In this case, the court needs to issue a circular, or other legal document, granting the release of the pangolins; however, it takes up to 2 years for such a document to be compiled and issued, he said.
The department had worked with the relevant agencies to handle the case within two months but failed to reach a resolution, he said.
Tran Quang Phuong from the national park said the pangolins' health would suffer if they were kept in net bags for too long.
Besides this, the centre also has to bear the cost of feeding the pangolins. It costs nearly VND99 million (US$4,400) to feed them per month, he said.
Nguyen Van Thai, Director of Save Viet Nam's Wildlife, said pangolins were often released into their habitat after being saved from wildlife traffickers in all countries across the world.
The centre is making every effort to help the pangolins return to their habitat soon, he added.