Ramblings in the 'wild bird meat cities'

BHey, shoot birds with a bow.Mr. Nghehighoh super… hieffective

Hai Duong is highly appreciated by wild bird researchers and conservationists, with its systematic preservation of Chi Lang Nam Stork Island (Thanh Mien). Tens of thousands of poetic birds, respected almost absolutely, gather together in large flocks here, creating a fairy-tale space for photography and nature lovers from all over the country and abroad. This is also a significant source of income, creating a livelihood for local residents, a model worth learning across the country.

Once, I was invited to co-chair a large conference on bird conservation at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (to draft and submit to the Prime Minister for promulgation a Directive on the conservation of wild and migratory birds). Sitting next to me was Ms. Hoang Thi Thanh Nhan, Deputy Director of the Department of Nature Conservation and Biodiversity. That day, Ms. Nhan emphasized a very haunting point: to conserve wild birds in Vietnam, it is necessary to first deal with the wild bird specialty restaurants that are springing up like mushrooms after the rain.

I took some friends who are wildlife photographers to visit Hanoi. I have been in Hanoi for more than 30 years, accustomed to the scene of this place being deserted or sometimes many streets, walking all day without seeing a single bird. Perhaps that has made me emotionally numb. As for my foreign friends, they all have almost the same exclamation: “NO BIRDS” (not a single bird); “Why?” (why). I was startled to review the footage I had shot and think back to the memories of the dozens of countries I had been to. In all the cities, sometimes, when cars passed by, crows, doves, and starlings flew up like a dreamy cloud. Every street corner, every road was chirping and chirping...

I once wrote: in Germany, the “royal” coots, which sell for a million and a half each when “served on the table”, just stand there, bewildered, and spread out along the lakes. I raised my phone to take sharp enough pictures, and when I reached out, I could almost feel them. In India, when you go to the park, when you reach out, birds and squirrels land and crawl onto your shoulder. In Brazil, wild animals come from the forest, sneak under the dining table and scratch your feet like house cats. In the US, a Vietnamese reader who has lived there for nearly 50 years wrote to me after reading my reports on Vietnamese nature being slaughtered, saying that if you just shoot a stork in the wild, the police can fine you up to 10,000 USD. The law must be strict to prevent these unruly people. In Singapore, raptors (the most cunning and alert of birds) perch on low tree branches, watching people strolling in the park and occasionally circling, calmly catching fish a few meters away from the viewer. In Switzerland, I witnessed swans emerging from the blue lake, leading their small, heavy chicks across the road, causing a long line of cars to stop to let them leisurely walk…

Why are the beautiful chirping, feather colors and shapes, and passionate dances of wild birds gradually fading away and many species are almost becoming extinct in people's daily observations? Because we have "bird meat cities" with restaurants and specialty restaurant chains selling all kinds of birds from big to small, from rare to common, from land birds to water birds, from native birds to migratory birds? Because we have a whole forest of laws but enforcement in this field still has too many gaps. The trapping with increasingly "super" and super... effective technology; the rampant trading and slaughter of wild birds is not controlled as it should be, although the sanctions are quite complete and increasingly strict.

I wonder if I am writing this to promote the mushrooming specialty restaurant complexes in “bird meat cities” like Ha Nam and Bac Ninh, and the notorious “bird hell” agricultural markets like those in Thanh Hoa town, Long Anh province?

The reason I wonder is because in this era of social media explosion, the owners of wild bird specialty restaurant chains recruit staff to promote their “brands” and pay them monthly salaries. Let these young people take care of their “social media” every day and livestream to sell wild birds noisily. They open restaurant chains with their own brands, in their own provinces, in Hanoi, in satellite cities. It is truly inexplicable that in the capital city of Hanoi, when regulations and laws clearly state that catching common wild birds such as woodpeckers in the countryside or sparrows on the street will also be punished, many wild birds are killed every day, including snail storks, red herons, gray herons, ibises, and many other rare and specially protected species. All are openly praised on social networks, with customers coming and going in droves in broad daylight.

Many people will wonder, how do they catch tens of thousands of wild birds to sell wholesale in one transaction? There is no trace of fish or birds. But with the technology of space rockets today, only human kindness to nature can give wild birds a chance to survive. Instead, they make speakers to imitate bird sounds, the "store" of sounds of all bird species is free on the internet, and then spread a opaque net from low to high, from far to near, from hills to lagoons. No bird can escape. They also do not hesitate to use guns, slingshots, bows, crossbows, and even poison soaked in food (such as fish, rats) to kill birds of prey. No bird can escape.

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Gone are the days of “birds in the sky, fish in the water”, everyone catches whatever they want, whoever likes it eats it, whoever can compete for it, and those who make a profit do business, trade or… protect it. The law is stricter and more transparent, people, especially citizens of the flat world, have behaved more civilly and respected wild nature. The involvement of the police, forest rangers, Departments of Natural Resources and Environment, market management forces… has made those who kill wild birds more cautious.

However, just by “playing the role” a little, we were still revealed by the restaurant chain owners who kill tens of thousands of wild birds every day, they trade online, transport by passenger bus and pickup truck secretly. Countless “goods” are fresh whole and frozen. When checked, they take the grey herons, red herons, and pelicans weighing several kilos each to the attic on the upper floor. They tie the birds’ long and sharp beaks tightly, then slaughter them in a scrumptious, foul-smelling manner…

Some restaurants in Hanoi, at the time of our investigation, brought rare birds (like the flamingo) to the banquet table, the birds flapping around, letting the guests see the goods before cutting their throats and slaughtering them on the spot. In Bac Ninh, they even served live music, and groups of luxurious guests came in droves to feast on wild birds of all kinds, big and small. The menu was publicly posted, and the sales invoices also publicly stated “wild bird meat” so that they could pay at the office, without any hesitation. A chef revealed to the journalist that they earned up to 700 million VND a day by selling wild birds and providing music while guests were dining in the “large hall” (this information was published in the newspaper).

We reported to the authorities, the subjects were handled, when thousands to tens of thousands of frozen birds and live birds of all kinds were confiscated, destroyed, and released back into the wild. In the provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Vinh Phuc, Ha Nam, Bac Ninh, Tien Giang, Long An, Hanoi City... we conducted investigations, reported, and in just one campaign by journalists, we saw numerous violations. Even the forest rangers in Bac Ninh were confused: with so many wild birds still alive, where would they find a place to keep them? What do they eat and how can they survive until they have the necessary procedures to be released into the sky? Should we bring them to the forest rangers' headquarters for care? The truth is that if this situation is not improved, the wild birds will have no way out.

It is still a story of laxity or ineffectiveness in managing “birds in the sky and fish in the water”. If we know that, in the balanced chain of the ecosystem… there is an irreplaceable role of wild nature, including beautiful birds, then protecting them will be respected. Dangerous epidemics also arise from the breakage of important links in the ecosystem. Epidemics that make humans constantly think about extinction, the end of the world such as Ebola, Sars, Covid-19 (a pandemic born from humans’ unkind treatment of wild animals) all have obvious answers.

You can follow us to open the large freezers where birds are slaughtered, cleaned, frozen, and sold all over the country. Each “cage” of birds, each vacuum bag contains about a few hundred innocent birds. In the fields, along the rivers, at sea, in the forests, each long and wide net is stretched like a net of heaven and earth.

Sometimes, in one photo, we can see hundreds of dead, rotten birds. The reason is that small birds are caught in the nets and die sporadically, so the net owners “don’t have the heart” to remove them. All kinds of nets, traps, guns and poisons to kill wild birds are openly sold on social networks, in rural markets and grocery stores...

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It's easy, wild birds, just don't catch, trap, kill them, they will recover, will reproduce in large flocks. They surround and bring great values ​​to life. It's a shame that "wild bird specialty cities" have sprung up as a challenge to our ethics of living with nature and our humane laws. It's even more shameful that many rare bird species, of which there are only a few hundred individuals in the world, are caught and killed during their migration along the earth's crust when they "stop by" Vietnam. Even the scientific index ring worn on the leg of a rare bird, when eating it, many diners in our country still don't know what it is. And even if they knew, they would still eat it as usual. They even rejoice, because we are drinking rare birds.

We were so wrong when we considered “birds in the sky and fish in the water” as something that everyone can catch and eat. Because the harm caused by the massacre of wild birds breaks the ecological balance chain, spreads diseases...

Before it is too late, we need more systematic and drastic sanctions and law enforcement. Why do we count the number of birds killed, weigh them, and then calculate the value of the illegal shipment before dealing with it, with a fine that is like brushing off dust. Why do they fine anyone $10,000 abroad, even if they shoot a stork? Violations are dealt with.

The lesson has a high warning meaning, just happened after female tourist Do Thi Le Hoa from Bac Ninh province was discovered carrying 4 sea turtle eggs at Con Dao airport in 2024. Con Dao district court, Ba Ria - Vung Tau province sentenced Hoa's group to 2 years in prison and fined more than 1 billion VND.

If the government and the people agree, they only need to be determined to strictly and especially strictly handle violations. Anyone who carries a gun to the field to shoot birds, anyone who illegally stores wild birds, anyone who hunts and eats wild birds… will all be dealt with, then the wild birds will be protected.

When we infiltrated, denounced, and led the Mobile Team of the Vietnam Forestry Department to deal with a “hell” openly selling wild birds along the national highway in Long An province. When we witnessed them selling monkeys to make medicine, and rare apes to raise as pets, beating to death, plucking feathers, and hanging the bodies of birds listed in the Red Book, we could not help but feel disappointed. Where did the authorities and local governments stand in this tragedy that had existed illegally for decades in broad daylight?

Fortunately, in that context, many organizations and individuals have devoted their wholehearted efforts to caring, preserving and promoting law enforcement in this area. Gradually, although not as quickly as expected, nature has recovered and protected our lives. The story of those inspirational people, they need the participation of me, you and all of us in a stronger and more effective way.