Seven tiger cubs found in central Vietnam freezer

By Duc Hung December 27, 2023 | 04:00 pm PT

Two tiger cubs, each weighing 5-10 kg, are found inside a freezer of a house in Ha Tinh Province. Photo by VnExpress/Hung Le

Two men in the central Ha Tinh Province were arrested on Wednesday after seven tiger cubs, along with six pangolins and a head of a serow, were found frozen inside their house.

Tran Anh Tuan, 49 and Nguyen Tien Dung, 50, have been put under investigation for "offences against regulations on management and protection of endangered, rare animals."

Police searched Tuan and Dung's house on Dec. 20 and 21, and found the animals in the freezer. Each of tiger cubs weighs around 5-10 kg.

Tuan and Dung said they bought the animals and froze them to make medicinal alcohol and sell them for profit.

Indochinese tigers are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. Their population is threatened by poaching for illegal wildlife trade, as some people believed their bones could be used to make traditional medicine to treat certain ailments.

Authorities said people in certain mountainous districts in Ha Tinh still buy wild animals like tigers and monkeys to make bone glue. A tael (37.8 grams) of tiger bone glue can cost VND18 million ($738.92), while a tael of monkey bone glue would cost around VND400,000-500,000.