How is hunting rare wild animals criminally handled?

Reply:Pursuant to Article 244 of the Penal Code 2015 (amended by Point a, Clause 64, Article 1 of the Law amending the Penal Code 2017), the crime of violating regulations on the protection of endangered, precious and rare animals is stipulated as follows:

1. Any person who violates the regulations on the protection of animals on the List of endangered, precious and rare species prioritized for protection or the List of endangered, precious and rare forest plants and animals Group IB or Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora in one of the following cases shall be subject to a fine of from VND 500,000,000 to VND 2,000,000,000 or imprisonment from 01 year to 05 years:

a) Illegally hunting, killing, raising, confining, transporting, or trading animals on the List of endangered, precious, and rare species prioritized for protection;

b) Illegally storing, transporting, or trading in individuals, vital body parts, or products of animals specified in Point a of this Clause;

c) Elephant tusks weighing from 02 kilograms to less than 20 kilograms; rhino horns weighing from 50 grams to less than 01 kilogram;

d) Illegally hunting, killing, raising, confining, transporting, or trading animals in the List of endangered, precious, and rare forest plants and animals in Group IB or Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora that are not species specified in Point a of this Clause with a quantity of from 03 to 07 individuals of mammals, from 07 to 10 individuals of birds and reptiles, or from 10 to 15 individuals of other animals;

d) Illegally storing, transporting, or trading in individuals or vital body parts of from 03 to 07 individuals of the mammal class, from 07 to 10 individuals of the bird or reptile class, or from 10 to 15 individuals of other animal classes specified in Point d of this Clause;

e) Illegally hunting, killing, raising, confining, transporting, or trading animals or illegally storing, transporting, or trading in individuals, vital body parts, or animal products in quantities below the levels specified in Points c, d, and dd of this Clause but having been administratively sanctioned for one of the acts specified in this Article or having been convicted of this crime and not yet had the criminal record cleared, but still committing the violation.

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Accordingly, those who hunt wild animals for trade will be prosecuted with a penalty of 500,000,000 VND to 2,000,000,000 VND or imprisonment from 01 year to 05 years.