The dead tiger and bones were found inside the freezer of 42-year-old Nguyen Van Chung in Ha Tinh's Huong Son District. A Thursday raid by the Hanoi environmental police and officers of Huong Son District had uncovered the animal remains.

Chung said he met a truck container driver at a restaurant in Huong Son District last year. When the man came by Chung's house, he asked him to keep a freezer containing animals used to make bone glue, even offering him money. Chung accepted.

About 10 days later, the man came by Chung's house with the freezer. Chung saw there was a body of a tiger and animal bones inside, so he initially refused to take it. The man then gave Chung VND9 million ($393.41), which made him change his mind.

Tigers are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. Their population is threatened by poaching for illegal wildlife trade, as some people believe their bones could be used to make traditional medicine to treat certain ailments.

It is illegal to hunt, kill, possess, capture, transport, or trade protected animals in Vietnam, with violations carrying penalties of up to 15 years in prison and fines of up to VND15 billion.