by Amy Louisa Cowan

 

Traditional: Bottles of snake wine attract attention. The consumption of some wildlife species is illegal but many people still eat, drink and use products made from wild animals. — VNS Photo Truong Vi

(VNS) Wildlife consumption is deeply ingrained in Vietnamese culture and steeped in tradition. However, with species disappearing rapidly, and Viet Nam's legal framework on biodiversity conservation growing, this is going to change.

I still vividly remember the night of my first time. One of my Vietnamese friends had invited me and my friends to his family home and, after a few hours of food, beers and rice wine, our host brought out a bottle of monkey wine.

"It's good for you, especially for man!" he laughed, pouring us each a shot glass of the thick, smelly liquid.

"So when you say ‘monkey wine', what exactly do you mean?" I was curious. Could this really be made from monkeys? "It is wine from monkey. You take a monkey, of maybe 45kg, and boil it for a month. Then you soak it in rice wine."

He could tell we didn't believe him and disappeared into his living room, to return with the remains of the monkey: a brown, solid bar the colour of chocolate and the consistency of soap. Boosted by the confidence of previous rounds of shots of vegetarian rice wines, none of us expats wanted to refuse our friend's offer, and so we held our noses and got it over with.

At the time, none of us thought what we were doing was wrong. Of course, drinking a monkey is not everyone's cup of tea, but at the time curiosity got the better of me.

I felt it was all part of experiencing the real Viet Nam; "when in Rome", I thought. Here, far from the "boring" animals of Europe, the exotic animals I only knew from trips to the zoo, children's books or documentaries quite regularly feature on menus.

Thus, the monkey wine experience was soon followed by a trip to a snake restaurant, where we got to choose our dinner, watch it get killed, and were then served seven courses prepared from it, including blood vodka, fried skin and the still beating heart.

Our Vietnamese companion told us that traditional medicine believed snake blood to make you strong and live longer, and so, we all tucked in. Again, I felt a little uncomfortable, mainly since this was the first time I'd seen an animal killed, but as a carnivore I didn't see how this was any different to eating beef or pork.

A few years down the line, and hours of research later, I see things differently. I understand that consuming wildlife, either as meat, in medicinal products or for ornamental purposes, is a long-standing tradition in Viet Nam.

Disappearing

And traditions are hard to change. However, it seems these traditions will soon come to an end, since Viet Nam's wildlife is slowly disappearing.

Due to its geographical characteristics and climate, Viet Nam is considered one of the top 16 countries in the world in terms of biodiversity – a term used to describe the variety of life forms within an ecosystem.

Viet Nam's ecosystems are home to around 12,000 animal species and over 20,000 plant species. However, economic development and population growth are resulting in the destruction of these valuable ecosystems to accommodate human needs.

Additionally, the booming trade in wildlife products is further decimating valuable populations of animals and plant species.

Today, at least 700 species of animals and plants are threatened by extinction, with many of these being critically endangered. The international Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) lists endangered species and legally subjects them to different forms of control based on a complex licensing system.

It's all quite complicated, as species are split into three (very long lists of) categories, depending on their need for protection. Some, such as the Asian elephant, bears, most gibbons and the Javan rhinoceros, are not permitted to be hunted or traded at all, apart from in exceptional circumstances.

Others, like the Leopard Cat, pangolins, some langurs and cobras, are not threatened by extinction yet, but their trade must be controlled via licenses. In the illicit wildlife trade, however, these categories and their corresponding controls are ignored, and the amount of wildlife being extracted goes unrecorded.

The Vietnamese Government has gone beyond its international commitments to protect biodiversity and has developed an expansive legal framework, including Decree 32, which protects particular plants and animals, going beyond the list of CITES; Decree 82 regulating import, export and transit of wildlife; the Law on Environmental Protection (1993); and the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.

In practice, this means that the consumption of some wildlife species is illegal and the Vietnamese authorities are using their law enforcement agencies to combat this booming trade.

So whilst the Government steps up its efforts to stop the illegal trade of endangered species, I've decided to do my own bit: to refuse to consume wildlife products. Since I'm no biologist, I can't tell which species are endangered or not when they're on my plate or in my glass, and something as pleasant as wining and dining with friends and family should not become a criminal activity. Ultimately, I feel that if there is a slight possibility that my consumption habits are destroying valuable biodiversity and endangered species, then I really should say no. I know it won't be easy, especially with Tet [Lunar New Year] invitations piling up, but change starts by looking at one's own actions and place in the world.

This way, hopefully in years to come my future children will be able to experience the fascinating animals of Viet Nam in their natural habitats, rather than in zoos, or on their plates. — VNS