Police in Vietnam have seized more than 100 kilogrammes worthy USD6 million (Sh600 million) of rhino horn smuggled into the country in suitcases from Kenya.
The interception of the latest illegal haul in the wildlife trafficking hub at the Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport even as Kenya and Ireland marked two iconic rhinos with a green colour to emphasize the need for wildlife conservation.
Today at the Nairobi national Park, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Embassy of Ireland symbolically ‘greened’ Kenyan iconic rhinos “ Kyela and Lankeu” to draw attention to conservation efforts.
The occasion marked with pomp and colour as presided over by Ireland ambassador to Kenya, Dr Vincent O’Neill. The envoy who was accompanied by KWS director general Kitili Mbathi, also marked the beginning of the campaign #GreenRhinos as part of global St Patrick’s celebrations.
Vietnam is a hot market for rhino horn, believed to have medicinal properties and is in high demand among the communist nation’s growing middle class.
The country is a popular transit point for illegal animal products, which often move from Africa through Vietnam to other parts of Asia.