Vietnam police confiscate 3 wild tiger carcasses

The Central Vietnam police have confiscated the carcasses of three endangered wild tigers they found in a car headed to the capital.

Police officer Tran Si Hung from Nghe An province says police tracked the suspect for nearly 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) before stopping his car Monday. He said Tuesday that police detained one man but his companion managed to flee.

The man told police he was hired by an unknown man to escort the tiger carcasses to Hanoi.

Hung says it's unclear whether the tigers were killed in Vietnam or if their carcasses were smuggled into the country.

In Vietnam, tigers were used to make tiger bone paste, which sells for a few hundred dollars per ounce (US$1,000 per 100 grams) and is used as a traditional pain killer.