Efforts to protect rhinos highlighted

Undertaken in 6 cities and targeting over 30 million people, these campaigns have urged students to say no to products made from rhinos by delivering a simple message.

The message is also / has also been aired through short video clip campaigns of Vietnamese government officials and celebrities reaffirming the importance of wildlife protection.

Bui The Duc, Deputy Head, Party Central Committee Commission for Popularisation and Education said: At the end of 2010, rhinos disappeared from Vietnam. It is a shame that we can no longer see rhinos here. Consuming wildlife products as medicine is illegal and un-scientific. We should preserve our cultural values and natural resources as a legacy for future generations by discouraging people from using such products.

Vietnamese agencies and international platforms and organizations such as CITES, iTHINK, Freeland and Rapid Asia have joined hands to raise awareness of wildlife protection. Such efforts lowered the number of wildlife product buyers by 40% in Vietnam and 80% in Hanoi in particular.

Vuong Tien Manh, Deputy Director, Vietnam CITES Management Authority, Administration of Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development added: We were surprised to know that the residents of rural areas are also aware of our campaigns when we travelled to Yok Don National Park. This proved the effectiveness of such campaigns.

"In the last 3 years, we’ve seen a dramatic improvement in collaboration with the Vietnamese government, including the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Ministry of Public Security. We’re doing joint training and campaigns so we’re happy with the situation", said Steven Galster, Executive Director, Freeland Foundation

Freeland and other international organizations will continute to cooperate with Vietnamese governmental bodies to protect rhinos as well as other rare species such as pangolins, tigers, and elephants in the future.