Mekong - U.S. Partnership
From April 14-18, Vietnamese students participated in a series of university outreach events to stop consumption of endangered species and their products. The events focused on encouraging students to refrain from using ‘tiger bone glue’, a substance common in Vietnam promoted to treat a variety of ailments.
The outreach event was part of a larger region-wide wildlife consumption reduction campaign, iTHINK, developed by the USAID-funded Asia’s Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking Program. Education for Nature-Vietnam, an Asia’s Regional Response to Endangered Species Trafficking Program partner, implemented the university outreach events and continues to protect wildlife through awareness in Vietnam where endangered species consumption is high and fuels poaching of animals across the globe for domestic use.
Many students in attendance shared their comments on the use of modern medicine as a better choice than medicines with ingredients such as rhino horn and tiger bone. Hosting outreach events such as this encourages behavior change in countries where the unsustainable use of wildlife is widespread and considered a traditional practice, and is an integral part of wider campaign efforts to reduce the consumption of endangered species.
Source: USAID/RDMA Regional Environment Office Weekly Update
