Yahoo News 3 Mar 09;
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) – Pangolins face the worst threat from poachers and smugglers in Southeast Asia with inadequate punishment and lack of information encouraging the burgeoning trade, according to a wildlife official.
Trade in the animals, also known as scaly anteaters, is expected to increase unless governments here take tougher action, Chumphon Sukkaseam, a senior official with the Association of Southeast Asean Nations (ASEAN) Wildlife Enforcement Network said.
"More than a 100 tonnes of smuggled pangolin meat heading to China was confiscated in the region last year but that is only 10 to 20 percent of the amount of Pangolin meat successfully smuggled into China," he said.
"Smuggling will increase unless tough action is taken as pangolins now face the worst threat from smugglers and poachers in Southeast Asia," Chumphon added, speaking on the sidelines of a workshop on wildlife crime and prosecution for the Malaysian judiciary.
Pangolins are indigenous to the jungles of Indonesia, parts of Malaysia and areas of southern Thailand, with its meat considered a delicacy in China.
It is classified as a protected species under the UN's Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
"The main route for smuggling Pangolins is from Indonesia to Malaysia and then through Thailand to Laos or Vietnam which border China," he added.
Chumphon said the main problem was porous borders between the countries, insufficient information exchange on cases and the small fines given to smugglers.
The head of Malaysia's wildlife and national parks department Abdul Rasid Samsudin said the government was planning to strengthen its wildlife laws this year.
