Forest rangers in the central province of Phu Yen on Monday sold 96 monkeys seized from smugglers earlier this week instead of releasing them into the wild.

The young long-tailed monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) had been confiscated by local police on Saturday. Early on Monday, An had told Thanh Nien the animals would be released.

When asked about the change, An said laws allow certain agencies to choose between selling animals confiscated from crime scenes to wildlife farms or return them to forests.

Vietnamese law limits the sale of long-tailed monkeys for commercial or exploitative purposes.

An did not say how the money made selling the monkeys would be used. While Tuan owns a farm that raises reptiles, he has been licensed by the Phu Yen Forest Ranger Agency to open a yet-tobe established monkey farm.

“We asked Tuan to commit to building the monkey farm and raising the monkeys [he just bought] for a long time and not selling them,” An said.

But Tuan told Thanh Nien he planned to sell the monkeys soon.

In the meantime, Tuy Hoa police had yet to apprehend the driver of the Toyota Innova in which the monkeys were found together with unregistered vehicle license plates.

The driver ran away while police were examining the car.

The smuggled monkeys seized from a car on Monday in the central province of Phu Yen. Local forest rangers have sold the 96 monkeys instead of releasing them into the wild.

Reported by Duc Huy