Elephant sp 011

Thoong Kham, a 26-year-old male elephant, stands amid a forest patch in the Elephant Conservation Center (ECC), Buon Don District of Central Highlands' Dak Lak Province. He is one among 38 tamed elephants in the locality. Around two decades ago, a pack of wild elephants trampled crops and houses in Tanh Linh District of central Binh Thuan Province, killing 12 locals. Authorities later captured six elephants to be kept at Yok Don National Park. But two young elephants at the time, after being released into the wild, returned to wreak havoc, forcing their recapture and taming. The two were subsequently named Thoong Kham (Golden Boy) and Thoong Ngan (Silver Boy). From 2006 to 2007, Thoong Kham performed with a circus carnival. Due to frequent traveling and time spent in captivity, he became aggressive. He has now been released back to the forest, taken care of by an elephant trainer in areas managed by ECC. Y Ty Nie (L) is the only elephant trainer in Buon Don capable of tempering Thoong Kham's tantrums. Around 20 kilometers away is Yok Don National Park, where Thoong Ngan is being kept. Part of his ear had been torn while one of his tusks was sawed off by poachers in 2015. Thoong Ngan used to carry visitors in Buon Don, but since March 2018, he has been a part of a new tourism model that does not allow elephant riding by Animals Asia. Thoong Ngan's right tusk has grown back after six years. He is now an adult elephant in his reproductive period, released into the forest under the watch of trainers. ECC said there has been cases of elephants in Dak Lak being electrocuted and killed to have their tusks stolen. Many others had their tails and fur cut off to be sold to tourists. The elephants are now being guarded by ECC at Yok Don National Park. Jun, 11, is a wild elephant rescued by ECC in 2015. One of his legs was injured when caught in a trap back then. Despite medical treatment over several …

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Significant potential Under the UKVFTA, the UK will first eliminate 65 percent of tariffs, moving up to 99 percent within seven years. Vietnam will first remove 48.5 percent of tariffs from UK imports, which will rise to about 92 or 98 percent after six years. In recent years, the UK has been Vietnam’s third largest trade partner in Europe after Germany and the Netherlands. According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, two-way trade reached US$6.6 billion in 2019. However, the volume of made-in-Vietnam products consumed in the UK is greater because a significant amount of Vietnamese goods are shipped through major seaports in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and the Czech Republic before reaching the UK. Vietnam mainly exports garments and textiles, footwear, wood and wood products, and seafood to the UK, while importing pharmaceuticals, machinery and equipment. Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh affirmed that with high commitments and standards, the UKVFTA will be a new driving force to promote bilateral trade and investment relations. Vietnam’s sectors likely to be major beneficiaries of the trade deal will be fishery, rice, garment and textile, wood, fruit and vegetable, and leather and footwear. Vietnam’s garment and textile exports to the UK currently account for only 2.77 percent of the total, indicating great growth potential. Shrimp and tra fish will enjoy the benefits in the fishery sector as soon as the UKVFTA comes into effect because import duties will be slashed. In addition, a zero tax rate within five years will be applied to Vietnam’s wood and wood products. The UK holds significant potential for Vietnamese rice exports as stipulated by numerous commitments under the trade deal, which provides Vietnam’s rice with a competitive advantage over rice from Thailand, China and India. In addition, the UK is committed to reviewing and increasing the Tariff Rate Quotas (TRQs) for Vietnamese rice after …

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Though 9-spur cocks are no longer in high demand, they are still very expensive. A farmer in Phu Tho can earn VND300 million in Tet sale season from these cocks. A 9-spur cock is the specialty of Tan Son in Phu Tho province and many people seek to purchase this cock for Tet parties. A 9-spur cock is called ‘legendary cock’ as it is associated with the Son Tinh Thuy Tinh Legend. Son Tinh and Thuy Tinh, the two men who wanted to marry My Nuong Princess, were told to bring wedding presents to the king which included a nine tusk elephant, a nine spur cock, a nine color hair horse, 100 pots of glutinous rice and 100 banh chung (square rice cakes). Nine-spur cocks are favored not only because they have delicious taste, but are also believed to bring luck and prosperity. However, the cocks with eight or nine spurs are extremely rare, so it is very difficult to buy these clocks, which are priced at tens of millions of dong. Pham Ngoc Khanh, the owner of a nine-spur cock farm in Tan Son, Phu Tho, said he receives many orders for cocks every Tet. “They are called nine-spur cocks, but they mostly have 4-8 spurs only. Real 9-spur cocks are extremely precious. There are 1-2 9-spur cocks for every thousand of cocks,” he explained. Khanh said in order to produce 9-spur cocks, he has to spend a lot of time and effort to select purebred chicken genetic resources from households in the village to propagate. At first, Khanh found it difficult to sell the cocks because people were still cautious. He had to bring his cocks to many places to advertise them. However, this cock species has become better known among people in the last five years. “The supply is not high enough to meet the demand,” he said. This Tet, Khanh has roosters with nine spurs, purple red, about two years old. The value of the roosters not only lies in their beautiful legs, with enough toes, but also in beautiful feathers and imposing appearance, weighing nearly 2.5 kg. According …

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