Hanoi: Three Vietnamese soldiers have been dismissed from the military after photos of them torturing two critically endangered monkeys circulated on Facebook and outraged the public.
The People`s Army newspaper said today that the three soldiers were dismissed from their unit in central Gia Lai province and eight other soldiers were given a warning.
The men bought the grey-shanked douc langurs from villagers before torturing them and paying villagers to slaughter them. One of the soldiers posted photos of the abuse on his Facebook page.
The report said three villagers have been arrested for hunting the wild monkeys.
Conservation group WWF said the grey-shanked douc langurs are critically endangered species.
Last month, WWF ranked Vietnam as the worst country for wildlife crime in its first such survey of how well 23 countries in Asia and Africa protect rhinos, tigers and elephants.
The Switzerland-based group focused its report on countries where the threatened animals live in the wild or are traded or consumed.
PTI
