Huge Pangolin haul shows crackdown is working

WWF website 5 Aug 08;

Indonesian officers last week raided the warehouse of a suspected illegal wildlife trader in Palembang, South Sumatra and have uncovered 14 tonnes of Malay Pangolins Manis javanica, leading to the arrests of 14 people.

The raid, which is the largest ever seizure of Pangolins in Indonesia, is being linked to two operations earlier this year by Vietnamese customs authorities that uncovered more than 23 tonnes of Pangolins.

Pangolins are reminiscent of armadillos with razor-sharp scales for protection, and are found in tropical regions of Africa and Asia, but demand for their scales and skin in traditional Chinese medicines, as well as their meat for eating, is placing heavy pressure on their dwindling populations.

In 2000, signatories to CITES (The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna & Flora) signed up to a complete ban on Pangolin trade, with some countries placing harsh penalties on those engaging in any such activities.

“WCS commend the Indonesian authorities on their laudable actions in this case. The illegal trade in wildlife is now a multi-million dollar international business. Endangered wildlife is being traded for food, medicines, ornaments, pets and more. This trade is already driving many species to the brink of extinction, If we don’t act soon it will be too late,” said Elizabeth Bennett, Director of the Hunting and Wildlife Trade Program of the Wildlife Conservation Society.

This latest seizure comes following a workshop held in early July by Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) & TRAFFIC South-East Asia, that saw governments, conservationists and researchers to discuss the plight of pangolins in Asia.

Increasing the rate of successful enforcement efforts was a key issue raised during this workshop, and the recent efforts by the Indonesian authorities seem to show that progress is being made.

“The police in Indonesia have done an excellent job and should be applauded.” says Chris R. Shepherd, senior programme officer with TRAFFIC. “We hope that these criminals are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

Yet despite full protection under Indonesian law, illegal trade has continued to push Pangolins ever closer to extinction.

TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, is a joint programme of WWF and IUCN.

14 Tons of Frozen Scaly Anteaters Seized in Indonesia
Dan Morrison, National Geographic News 7 Aug 08;

Last week Indonesian police seized 14 tons of frozen Malayan pangolins—a kind of scaly anteater—bound for China and arrested more than a dozen suspected smugglers, conservationists announced Tuesday.

The July 30 warehouse raid in Palembang on the island of Sumatra is the latest sign of China's skyrocketing demand for pangolin meat, blood, and scales.

"The pangolins were packed and ready for export to China via seaports in Sumatra and Java," Commissioner Didid Widjanardi of the Indonesian National Police said in a statement.

The black market trade in pangolins is soaring along with China's wealth, conservationists say.

"It appears to be huge—professional and at an industrial scale," said Elizabeth Bennett, director of the wildlife-trade program at the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

Despite a global trade ban, pangolins are the most frequently seized mammals in Southeast Asia, according to TRAFFIC, the wildlife-trade monitoring network that announced the seizure.

Shipments of pangolins bound for China are regularly intercepted in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Prestige Animals

Though their medicinal benefits are unproven, pangolin scales are said to help women lactate and treat ailments such as asthma and the skin condition eczema. Pangolin blood is thought to cure high blood pressure.

Pangolin meat is also considered a popular delicacy.

But the biggest factor driving the pangolin craze and price increase is the animal's scarcity. Though the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the Malayan pangolin as only "near threatened," pangolin species have been hunted nearly out of existence in China and its neighboring countries.

Hunters typically use dogs and nets to track down the shy, nocturnal animals.

"They're incredibly rare to see in the forest," Bennett of WCS said.

In Indonesia and Malaysia, hunters are paid between U.S. $40 and $50 for a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of pangolin scales and $60 for a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of pangolin meat.

That same meat will sell for nearly $600 per kilogram at a restaurant in China, according to some estimates.

Hunting "is having a very great impact" on pangolin numbers, in part because the animals have a very low reproduction rate, said Mark Auliya, TRAFFIC's science officer, and a National Geographic Conservation Trust grantee. (The National Geographic Society owns National Geographic News.)

A female pangolin reaches maturity relatively late in life and gives birth to one offspring at a time. Overall "very little is known" of the pangolins feeding, mating, and ranging habits, Auliya said.

"They're overlooked scientifically. A lot has to be done or these animals will be wiped out."

Vietnam Connection

Recent pangolin seizures range from small busts involving a few live animals to massive shipments containing tons of dead and skinned pangolins.

On July 20 police at a checkpoint in Shenzhen, China, seized 11 live pangolins hidden inside a white minibus. On June 5 police in Guangdong Province arrested two men for illegally transporting 82 live pangolins.

But those arrests pale in comparison with seizures that Vietnamese customs officers made in late February and early March—totaling more than 24 tons of pangolin meat and scales.

The pangolins were chilled in Styrofoam boxes—shipping documents listed them as frozen fish. Conservationists in Vietnam tracked the shipment back to an exporter in Indonesia.

Next Stop: Africa

Raids like the one on July 30 are the result of increased cooperation between law enforcement agencies and conservation groups, TRAFFIC's Shepherd said.

In recent years TRAFFIC has trained more than a thousand police, customs, and wildlife officers in Southeast Asia in an area of enforcement that has traditionally been a low priority.

But there is little optimism that the increased crackdowns will come in time to save Asia's pangolins.

Conservationists now fear that African pangolins may be next on the menu once Asian pangolins are gone. Shepherd said there are already indications that "pangolins from Africa are appearing on the Chinese market."

Trade in African pangolins could be eased by China's extensive investments on that continent, Bennett of WCS added. "As things become increasingly rare, we're seeing the demand increase," said Chris Shepherd, who heads TRAFFIC's Southeast Asia program.

"You have luxury restaurants that serve prestige animals. It's a status symbol to show you're above the law."