Wild animals sold openly in the market

(Baonghean.vn) – Wild animals such as goats, bamboo rats, weasels, etc., after being hunted, are openly sold in highland villages. Worryingly, these are foods that many people hunt for while wild animals are becoming increasingly scarce.

At one point, in Hoa Binh town (Tuong Duong), it was not difficult to see people carrying live bamboo rats that had just been dug up, still covered in mud, to sell. We met a woman in Chan village (Thach Giam commune), she said that her husband had just dug up these bamboo rats in the forest, the small ones were over 1kg, the big ones were 1.4kg. The price of bamboo rats was not too expensive, only 150,000 VND/kg. In just a moment, the woman had sold all of them.

Wild bamboo rats are brought for sale in Hoa Binh town (Tuong Duong). Photo: Minh Khue

In some other areas of Ky Son district, it is not uncommon for villagers to go hunting every day and bring back wild animals such as goats, weasels, and bamboo rats to sell. A hunter in Nam Khien village (Nam Can commune) said that each time they go hunting, they usually stay in the forest for 2-3 days, sometimes even a week if they have not hunted anything. For small animals such as bamboo rats, they mainly use hoes and shovels to dig, while goats and weasels have to use flintlock guns. We left our phone number to "order" this young man.

A recently shot goat is sold to a restaurant. Photo: Minh Khue

In mid-February 2017, we received a late-night phone call from a young man who reported that he had just shot down a large mountain goat. At around 11pm, a motorbike arrived at the meeting place carrying a bloody sack of a mountain goat weighing over 50kg that had just been hunted. After some negotiation, the mountain goat was sold to a store for over 7 million VND.

When asked, are you not afraid of being caught when you sell goats? He answered hesitantly: "You have to go at night, if you meet border guards during the day, they will be confiscated immediately." According to him, this season, people who go far away can shoot a lot of goats. Goat meat is nutritious, cheap and clean, so it is sought after as much as possible.

Silver cheeked ferrets with white stripes on their heads are a popular item. Photo: Minh Khue

At the border markets between Ky Son and Noong Het (Laos), it is not difficult to find and buy a wild don (an animal related to porcupines) and a weasel. In addition, customers can freely choose from a variety of weasels: flying weasels, silver-cheeked weasels, civets... at reasonable prices. Many customers when coming to the market look to buy these animals because they consider them "specialties".

Wild Don is sold at Nam Can market. Photo: Minh Khue

It can be seen that wild animals are being hunted and are facing the risk of extinction, while the demand for consumption is increasing. This situation needs to be stopped soon to protect the environment and preserve biodiversity in the mountains and forests of Western Nghe An.

Minh Khue