LookAtVietnam – More than 150 restaurants in Ha Noi have pledged not to serve endanger animal meat, according to the World Wildlife Fund for Nature in Viet Nam.

Storks for sale to restaurants at a market in central Nghe An province. More than 150 restaurants in Ha Noi have pledged not to serve endangered animal meat.

The fund said these restaurants would no longer serve meat from animals protected by Vietnamese law. They will also inform customers about wildlife preservation activities in the country.

The list of restaurants that have refused to serve wild animal meat will be published on the funds’ website.

Three Viet Nam’s tourist companies – Intrepid, Buffalo Tours and I-Travel – have joined the campaign and will post the names of those restaurants complying with the funds’ campaign on their website.

The campaign was launched in six districts in the city last July.

The Environmental Police Department said that about 3,400 tonnes of wild animal meat is consumed each year, mostly in major cities.

According to the fund, nearly 700 species of animal in the country face being wiped out. About 300 of these animals face global extinction, while a further 50 are close to being wiped out.

A fund survey this year of more than 2,000 people living in Ha Noi showed that over 47 per cent have either eaten wild animal meat or used animal products for health or as ornaments. Of those surveyed who said they’d eaten wild animals or used wild animal products, 34 per cent were public officials.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News