Hanoi eateries told to get wild animals off menu
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A recent survey by the Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV) revealed that the meat of wild animals - including deer, Indian civet, porcupine, boar and others - is being served at 90 per cent of local restaurants around the famed Huong Pagoda in Ha Noi's My
The findings contradict the claim of Nguyen Van Hau, vice chairman of the district People’s Committee, that the restaurants only sold farm-reared meat.
According to ENV staff, the restaurants’ owners offered them wild-animal meat when they posed as customers, but when they returned with authorised agencies the owners claimed that all their meat was registered and had not come from the wild.
Tran Viet Hung, deputy director of ENV, said, “Restaurants selling wild-animal meat not only violate regulations but also damage the image of the pagoda – one of the most popular spiritual destinations in the city, especially during the first days of Lunar New Year.”
In the run-up to Tet, ENV co-operated with the management board of Huong Pagoda to hang 15 banners calling for people not to consume wild animal meat, Hung said.
He revealed that cases of wild meat being sold in the area had been reported for many years, but local authorities had never properly investigated.
The sale of wild animals in Vietnam is strictly regulated, but investigations of restaurants are still lax.
The ENV has urged the city People’s Committee to introduce drastic measures to deal with violations relating to wild animals.
