The Education for Nature – Vietnam (EVN) has sent a dispatch recommending temples and pagodas not to release or keep wild animals in these places of worship.
The dispatch sent in June to about 100 temples and pagodas in 37 provinces and cities across the country where wild animals were said to have been kept in these worshipping establishments.
The ENV’s recommendation aims to remind places of worship of state laws on the protection of wild animals, promote love of the natural environment, and reduce risks of virus infection through contacts with wild animals.
A ranger from Soc Trang province receives a turtle from a Buddhist monk
The recommendation also practically contributes to unlawful trading activities of wild animals, as the Buddhist practice of releasing live animals for cultivating merit might promote the trading of wild animals.
According to Deputy Director of the ENV Nguyễn Thị Phương Dung said “wild animals belong to the nature. So, the best way to protect wild animals is not to keep, consume or trade them so they can freely live in the natural environment”.
PTT
