A tiger in Binh Duong Province
A man has been found seriously injured, losing his right hand in a tiger cage at the Binh Duong-based Thanh Canh ecotourism site on June 4. When the site staff of arrived, the man was lying motionless at the cage. Half of his left hand was also ripped off.
The case has brought public attention to regulations on tiger keeping. Resolution 6 is the newest regulations about managing rare and endangered species, however, there's still no detail regulations about tiger conservation.
Ngo Thi Mai Huong, director of Vietnam Wildlife Conservation Centre said Vietnam already had regulations regarding bear conservation but lack legal frameworks for tigers such as criteria for a tiger cage or responsibilities of the local authorities over the tiger conservation centres. She also confirmed that it was not safe to raise tigers in a residential area.
"It's not safe for the owner, for the locals and for the tigers," she said. "The rare and endangered animals are national treasures. The authorities must provide support in protecting those animals."
She went on to say that low-quality tiger conservation centres actually were not of help and should be banned.
Three conservation centres in Binh Duong are allowed to raise and keep tigers in a pilot programme. This is the second tiger attacks in the past three years, raising public concerns about keeping tigers in residential areas.
Pham Van Bong, director of Binh Duong Agriculture and Rural Development said in the coming time, they would tighten inspections at tiger keeping centres. They also asked the Thanh Canh ecotourism site to reinforce the tiger cages. If they cannot meet the criteria, the tigers will be transferred to a more suitable centre.