Two dead tiger cubs found in Vietnamese bus

Corpses of two tiger cubs inside glass jars were found by traffic police in a bus in central Vietnam on Thursday. 

Police in Nghe An Province inspected the bus and found the corpses weighing 20kg (44lbs) each in a yellow solution.

A tiger cub as found in a glass jar. Photo courtesy by Nghe An Police

The driver, Nguyen Xuan Nam, 43, and two assistants said they were hired to transport the jars from Saigon to Hanoi on Wednesday.

The dead tigers were handed over to the police and an investigation is ongoing.

Tigers are facing extinction in Vietnam, where the animals are trafficked for their meat, decorative skin and claws. Their bones are also illegally traded to make a gluey substance some people believe can cure arthritis and make them stronger.

Data from the International Union of Conservation for Nature and national tiger surveys released by the World Wildlife Fund two years ago showed that the number of wild tigers in Vietnam has shrunk to less than five, a significant decline from more than 100 in the early 2000s.

It is estimated that between 3,500 and 4,000 tons of wild meat is consumed in Vietnam each year.