Jul 3, 2009, 5:32 GMT
Hanoi - A court in southern Vietnam has sentenced two men to prison for killing two endangered black-shanked douc apes, a local official said Friday.
'I am not happy when I hear someone is put into prison, but I agree with the sentences because it will serve as an example to warn people not to kill wild animals,' said Phan Huy Thang, head of the Forest Warden Department of Khanh Hoa province, where the case was heard.
Vietnam News on Friday reported the People's Court in Ninh Hoa District sentenced Phan Van Chanh, 31, to 30 months in prison and Le Minh Canh, 36, to 24 months for violating regulations on the protection of endangered animals.
Chanh and Canh were charged with killing two black-shanked doucs in Ninh Hoa District on January 20.
The animal is listed on the Red List of the Internationals Union for Conservation of Nature and the Vietnam's Red List of endangered animals.
At the court, the men admitted they planned to sell the two black-shanked doucs to restaurants.
Eating wild animals is highly popular in Vietnam, where many animals are considered to have medicinal and spiritual qualities. As a result, many local species have been driven to the brink of extinction.
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