A zoo in Vietnam has admitted that it auctioned two dead Indochinese tigers (Panthera tigris corbetti) to animal traffickers, which wildlife conservationists say is in violation of international conservation laws.
Authorities of Hanoi zoo, in Vietnam's capital city, said the tigers died of natural causes and were sold for 125 million dong (us $7,800) each to raise money to buy more animals for the zoo. The money was deposited in the zoo's bank account. The zoo authority's admission comes after Vietnamese police found frozen pieces of four tiger bodies from the residence of a suspected animal trafficker. The poacher later told the police that he legally purchased two of the dead tigers from the Hanoi zoo.
Under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, bodies of rare wild animals must be donated to museums or cremated.
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