Sadly, poaching is still going on in Cat Ba National Park, Viet Nam. In September 2023 I found a bird trap in the national park with a number of cruelly killed birds. The trap net was stretched in an L-shape with about 50 m total length and 2.50 m height. It was located in a small flat area between the karst mountains. The net had trapped two owls, three kingfishers and a small songbird. They had obviously flown into the net at different times and died in it.
The island of Cat Ba and the national park established on it are located in the north-east of Viet Nam in the famous Ha Long Bay. The scenically area has been visited by many tourists from Viet Nam and abroad for years. Cat Ba Island with the town of the same name is the tourist centre of the region. The Cat Ba National Park is for a large part of the visitors the place for an additional day trip, besides the obligatory boat trip through the island world. Dozens of tour operators offer trekking and cycling tours in the national park. In addition, the local hotels and restaurants also generate revenue as a result of the guests’ visit to the national park.
It is painful to see that, despite the enormous economic success of the Cat Ba National Park, it was not achieved to stop poaching. Better educational work, increased ranger patrols and law enforcement are needed. The National Park Authority has confirmed that it will investigate the perpetrator of this case.
When you are on Cat Ba, why not make a short trip – from Cat Ba city 15 min motorbike ride plus 10 min walk – to the former location of the trap. Take the road from Cat Ba city to the north, then turn right to the south of the settlement of Khe Sâu. If necessary, notify the National Park Administration to ensure that never again trap nets are set up there. The coordinates of the site are: 20.754826; 107.035130
