Four men have been detained for allegedly attacking elephants and taking their tusks and tails to sell for ornamental or medicinal purposes.
Police in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak have taken into custody Le Viet Dung, 34, of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province; Pham Van Huy, 31, of Dong Nai Province; and Dam Van Noi, 24, and Y Bia Hwing, 21, of Dak Lak Province.
Hwing, who used to be an elephant tamer, was in charge of luring the elephants before the other men attacked them with electrical-shock instruments.
Police believed the group were involved in killing one elephant, cutting the tail off another one, and pulling out the tail hairs of three others at Dang Van Long's elephant farm in Lak District in the province.
Police said the group might also be involved in several other cases of cutting and pulling out hairs of elephants in Lak District and the Ban Don Eco-tourism zone.
They also seized a knife, a handmade system for electrical shock and 90 pieces of elephant tail hairs.
Local authorities said the number of local elephants dropped from 166 in 1998 to around 50 this year because of sudden deaths and human attacks.
Long said the elephant whose tail was cut off would die if it received improper care.
Many markets in the province sell elephant skins which are used to treat stomachaches.
National laws prohibit hunting and killing elephants, but they do not explicitly state that the selling of elephant skin is illegal.
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