The two traffickers were carrying the animals on a motorbike on National Route 8A near the Cau Treo border gate when they were ordered to stop by the police for behaving suspiciously.

But instead of stopping, they threw away a basket and fled. The police gave chase but in the thick night fog, they could not catch them.

Back at the scene, officers found two baby tigers inside the basket.

The two tiger cubs that were thrown away by smugglers when challenged by police
in Ha Tinh Province on November 18, 2019. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Hung.

The cubs, each weighing around four kilograms, were handed over to Save Vietnam’s Wildlife, a non-profit organization for conserving wildlife.

The police are looking for the two suspects.

Violation of wildlife protection laws is punishable by up to seven years in jail.

Vietnam is one of only 13 countries with tigers left in the wild.

With their populations plunging, in 2010 the 13 countries pledged to double tiger numbers by 2022.

But the animal remains critically endangered in Vietnam, with only five left in the wild in 2016.

Tigers are in demand in Vietnam for their skin, meat and bones. Some people believe tiger products can treat bone and joint ailments.