A family in Thanh Hoa has been struggling for years to care for nine captive tigers that consume nearly 100 kilograms of meat daily, costing them millions of dong and leaving them in legal limbo after their license expired in 2017.

The tigers were first brought to Xuan Tin Commune nearly 20 years ago. In 2007, Nguyen Mau Chien from Hanoi bought 10 cubs, each weighing about 7 kilograms, from a stranger in Laos and brought them back to Vietnam. Authorities fined him 30 million VND (about 1,200 USD) for illegal possession but allowed him to continue caring for the animals. A year later, he purchased five more cubs and faced another fine of 30 million VND.

Initially, the tigers were kept in small cages within a residential area, causing noise, odor, and safety risks. To address these concerns, the family later moved them to a secured farm in Con Tau Voi field, 2.5 kilometers away, where the Thanh Hoa Forest Protection Department granted a five-year license in 2012. The facility included outdoor exercise space, feeding areas, and reinforced enclosures.

Over the years, some animals died, leaving nine survivors weighing between 180 and 300 kilograms, including three females. Despite repeated attempts, the family has been unable to renew their license since 2017, as the farm does not meet the legal requirements to be recognized as a biodiversity conservation facility under the 2008 Biodiversity Law and Decree 160/2013.

“The tigers are not raised for trade or commercial purposes, which makes their care extremely costly. A male tiger eats up to 10 kilograms of meat a day, while a female consumes about 7 kilograms. Together, they devour almost 100 kilograms daily, costing us millions of dong,” said Trinh Dinh Bach, the family member entrusted with managing the farm.

Forest rangers conduct weekly inspections to ensure the tigers are neither traded nor slaughtered. All feeding and health records are kept under strict supervision.

Authorities are now seeking to transfer the animals to an organization with the capacity to manage them legally. Several facilities have expressed interest, but negotiations remain stalled over reimbursement for years of feeding and construction costs.

For now, the family continues to shoulder the heavy burden of feeding and maintaining nine endangered predators without a clear solution in sight.

Le Duong