A green criminological exploration of the illegal trade in civets and other ‘high-risk’ species for zoonotic disease emergence

In this edition of our 'Meet the Researcher' blog series, we welcome Green Criminology PhD student Aitor Ibáñez Alonso to The Civet Project to share his latest field working findings from Vietnam.

Aitor Ibáñez Alonso

Hello everyone! I’m Aitor Ibáñez Alonso, a PhD researcher and FWO fellow in Criminology at KU Leuven in Belgium. I’m excited to share with you what I’ve been working on recently in Vietnam, together with project members and partners of The Civet Project—and why I believe this research matters for civets and other often-overlooked species.

What drew me in

When I first stepped into the world of green criminology, the study of environmental crimes and harms, I found myself fascinated not by the usual illegal trade of iconic megafauna, but by those we rarely hear about. These are species whose illegal trade often flies under the radar, yet their stories can be just as urgent as those of elephants or rhinos.

My journey began with the eel-legal trade in European eels, which revealed Europe’s overlooked role as a source region and helped dispel the myth that wildlife trade only comes from Africa, Asia, or South America. Then came the Covid-19 pandemic, which showed us how crucial it is to understand the (illegal) trade in ‘high-risk’ species that can spread zoonotic diseases.

“How does it work, and what role does wildlife trade and trafficking play in the spread of new diseases?” 

I asked myself this very question during the lockdown. That’s when civets (principally, Paradoxurus hermaphroditus and Paguma larvata) caught my attention—a group of small carnivores that are widely bred, traded and consumed in restaurants in countries like Vietnam. Yet, civets have been found carrying a range of viruses and other zoonotic agents such as highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, H5N1. Most importantly, civets were intermediate hosts for SARS-CoV during the 2002–2003 SARS outbreak.

In this light, I set off to answer timely and urgent questions about the links between wildlife trade and trafficking, and the health and well-being of humans, animals and the wider environment.

My research objectives 

Regarding civets, my research aims to:

1. map the illegal activities within ostensibly legal supply chains in Vietnam through an analytical scheme called Crime Script Analysis (CSA) which enables to highlight the procedural aspects of particular criminalized activities in order to pinpoints intervention points for law enforcement

2. identify the living and biosecurity conditions along the supply value chain

3. investigate the causal factors promoting these illegal activities

   
   

Common palm civet in a household farm in Dong Nai, Vietnam. [Photo credit: Aitor Ibáñez Alonso]

What I’ve done and discovered so far

To answer these questions, I have conducted extensive fieldwork in Vietnam in two phases (December 2023–January 2024 and December 2024–May 2025).

During fieldwork I was able to survey 43 civet and/or bamboo rat farmers (both registered and unregistered) and 20 restaurant owners or staff involved in wild meat sales, and to collect direct observations at forests, markets, rescue centers, farms and restaurants.

Additionally, I have conducted over 50 additional interviews with experts and other stakeholders. I had also the great opportunity to volunteer for a month at the Carnivore & Pangolin Conservation Program in Cuc Phuon National Park, where I learned a lot about these fascinating species by the hand of keepers, veterinarians from the amazing team of Save Vietnam’s Wildlife, one of The Civet Project Foundations partners. 

Here are a few of the things I’ve found so far: 

Two common palm civets and two masked palm civets at a restaurant in Nghe An, Vietnam [Photo credit: Aitor Ibáñez Alonso]

• Despite legal provisions such as Decree 06/2019/ND-CP and Decree 84/2021/ND-CP, which require all breeding facilities to register, source animals legally, and maintain proper records, survey evidence shows that legal actors, including farmers and restaurant owners, frequently engage in illegal practices. These include operating without registration, sourcing animals illegally, under-reporting stock, engaging in corruption, and transporting wildlife without documentation.

  
  

• Civets and other animals destined for meat consumption are not only sourced domestically, but a cross-border network enables to illegally source them from neighboring countries, including China, where wildlife farming activities were halted after the COVID-19 pandemic.

  
  

• Living conditions are generally poor with high mortality, especially among, amateur breeders that lack of specific knowledge on animal care, veterinary, nutrition and mating.

  
  

• Biosecurity conditions are hardly ever in place, with animals entering into close contact with free-ranging animals like mice or livestock (e.g., chickens or dogs). The prevalence of illegal sourcing puts into contact animals from uncontrolled environments, increasing the risk of zoonotic disease transmission. Moreover, the majority of farms lack specific quarantine areas and protocols, and they seldom use Personal Protective Equipment when handling civets.

Why it matters

Studying civets from a green criminology perspective is valuable for:

• Strengthening law enforcement and regulatory oversight: By understanding how legal and illegal activities intertwine within wildlife supply chains, we can identify where and how to intervene effectively. Mapping these processes helps authorities, NGOs, and policymakers to design smarter strategies to prevent illegal practices from taking place.

• Improving animal welfare: Many civets are kept in poor living conditions, with little understanding of their biological or behavioural needs. Highlighting these welfare issues not only helps improve the lives of captive animals but also provides valuable guidance for future management, husbandry, and rescue efforts.

• Reducing the risk of zoonotic disease: Wildlife farming and trade do not only affect biodiversity, they also pose serious risks to human and animal health. Poor hygiene, inadequate biosecurity, and the mixing of species create conditions in which viruses can jump between animals and humans. By identifying these high-risk practices, my research contributes to the broader “One Health” approach, which recognises that the health of people, animals, and ecosystems are deeply interconnected.

A group of common palm civets in an open-air enclosure in close proximity to free-ranging chickens in a household farm in Nghe An, Vietnam [Photo credit: Aitor Ibáñez Alonso]

How You Can Help:

• Read more about the work The Civet Project Foundation is championing in Vietnam under their 'Civet One Health' initiative.

• Make a donation or shop online to help support The Civet Project Foundation's vital work to protect civets from exploitation.