The figure was double that of the previous year, showing the government’s stricter measures to conserve wildlife are not working, according to ENV.

But it also indicates that the community is increasingly concerned with wildlife protection issues, Nguyen Phuong Dung, its deputy director, said.

Illegal advertising and sale of wild animals accounted for the majority of the complaints (1,956), followed by illegal possession (863) and wildlife trade and transport (98).

An ENV report said monkeys are the biggest targets, with 584 cases, followed by bears and tigers.

More than 1,130 wild animals were rescued last year, including 32 bears, the NGO said.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in July last year issued a directive to ban the import of live wild animals and wildlife products, eliminate wildlife markets and enforce the prohibition on illegal hunting and trading of wild animals.

Vietnam is an important destination in Southeast Asia for illegal wildlife products such as pangolin scales and ivory. There have also been seizures of rhino horns, trafficked since they are believed to have medicinal properties.

It is illegal to hunt, kill, possess, capture, transport, or trade protected animals in the country, with violations carrying penalties of up to 15 years in prison and fines up to VND15 billion ($645,000).

ENV set up the free hotline at 1800-1522 in 2005 to receive complaints about wildlife violations.

On getting a complaint, ENV staff transfer it to relevant authorities and follow the action taken until the final outcome is known.