5 dead tigers seized from traffickers incinerated in Vietnam

The head of the Huong Son District Civil Judgment Enforcement Sub-department on Tuesday said the disposal was carried out on Monday following a court order.

"Incineration with gasoline is the best method to ensure environmental hygiene, as burying them poses risks of the bodies being dug up and repurposed," the official said.

The five dead tigers were found during a raid in December last year at the home of Tran Anh Tuan, 50, and Nguyen Tien Dung, 51 in Huong Son District. The tigers, each weighing 3-5 kg, were found in a refrigerator alongside six Sunda pangolins and the head of an ibex.

Tuan and Dung admitted to buying the animals to freeze and use them to make traditional medicine, either for treating illnesses or for profit. Dung was sentenced to five years and six months in prison, while Tuan received a five-year sentence for violating regulations on the management and protection of endangered and rare species.