4 wallabies seen hopping in Vietnam, likely trafficked for China market amid calls to curb exotic pet trade

The animals – which are not native to Vietnam – were spotted hopping along in Cao Bang province, which borders China, earlier this week.

According to state news site VNExpress, the wallabies – which include three males and one female – were brought from Australia by traffickers.

They were most likely on their way to China, which has a huge exotic pet trade, wildlife trafficking experts said.

It is unclear whether they were released or escaped.

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On Friday, the marsupials – all of which are healthy and weigh between eight and nine kilograms – were travelling to their new home, the Hoang Lien Rescue and Conservation Centre in Lao Cai province.

“After arriving at the centre, the wallabies will be raised in a semiwild environment, with both indoor and outdoor areas,” said La Van Toi, director of the centre.

“We have veterinarians that will look after their health, and they will be fed with grass, vegetables and fruit.”

It is the second time this year that wallabies have been discovered in Cao Bang, according to Doug Hendrie, counter-trafficking director at the ENV Wildlife Conservation Trust.

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In February, four wallabies, one of which was dead, were seized alongside other exotic species, he said.

“Both of these cases probably involved the trafficking of these exotic species to China. They do make reasonably good pets, they can be tamed,” he said.

Vietnam too has a growing exotic pet trade, much of which is organised through social media.

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ENV says animals are being pulled from nature to meet the demand for “cute” pets, despite the species being undomesticated, unfit for captivity and their wild populations detrimentally affected and even threatened with extinction.

“There needs to be tightening of regulations concerning keeping these animals as pets,” Hendrie said.

ENV, a Vietnam-based organisation, says it receives reports from members of the public seeing macaques, turtles, otters, birds and other species at residences, business establishments, and online.