HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - A zoo owner in Vietnam has been sentenced to three years in prison for selling the carcasses of several endangered tigers that died in his care, a judge said Monday.
Huynh Van Hai was convicted during a two-day trial earlier this month of selling the dead tigers, which had been raised at his zoo in Binh Duong province near Ho Chi Minh City, said presiding judge Hoang Huy Toan.
Hai told the court that the tigers died of natural causes - four of bird flu contracted after eating infected chickens in 2003 and another from choking on a bone, Toan said.
Rather than reporting the deaths to authorities as required, he sold the dead animals, saying he needed the money to care for his other tigers, Toan said.
Tiger parts are prized in traditional medicine for their supposed healing qualities and fetch top dollar on the illegal black market, where 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of tiger bone glue sells for $1,000.
The case was uncovered in early 2006, when police found one of the dead tigers being transported in a taxi. Toan said 14 other defendants involved in the case, including Hai's son, have been sentenced to up to 30 months in jail on the same charges.
Local conservation group Education for Nature Vietnam hailed the court's decision as a "vital first step" in ending the trade in tiger parts.
Warm Regard, Sara Pandian
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