Police in a central province of Vietnam arrested five people for trading on the carcass of a tiger to make bone glue, a traditional medicine, authorities said Monday.
In mid-April, police caught a 48-year-old and his wife in the act as they were preparing to cut the carcass of a 145-kilogram tiger in their home in the Thuong Xuan district.
Thuong Xuan district is in the North Central Coast region of Vietnam.
Upon checking the house, police discovered five kilograms of animal bones, six claws and 10 kilograms of frozen bone glue.
Le Van Huy of Thuong Xuan district’s police told dpa that police looked into the case after receiving a tip and that the five individuals were being charged with “violating regulations on wildlife protection.’’
The couple admitted they bought the dead tiger for the price of 130 million dongs (5,500 dollars) from an unidentified man in neighbouring Nghe An province.
Police then identified another 48-year-old man as the seller and arrested him and two others accused of being involved in the ring.
Vietnamese police have identified numerous cases relating to the illegal breeding, trafficking and killing of tigers in recent years.
Tigers were listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The animal was threatened mainly by poaching and habitat destruction.
Under Vietnamese law, each person in the ring could face a prison term of up to five years.
Tiger bone paste was a valued ingredient in Vietnamese and Chinese traditional medicine.
A kilogramme of pure tiger bone paste can sell for up to 5,000 dollars on the black market.