Seized log book reveal enormous extent of pangolin trade in Malaysia

22,000 pangolins killed in 14 months
Joey Catanzaro and Evangeline Majawat New Straits Times 29 Oct 10;

KUALA LUMPUR: The shocking full scope of Malaysia's illegal pangolin trade has been revealed for the first time, after a new study found that more than 22,000 of the endangered reptiles were killed in the 14 months prior to January last year.

Released by Southeast Asia wildlife trade monitoring network (Traffic) yesterday, the report was based on log books seized from a syndicate during a Sabah Wildlife Department raid in Kota Kinabalu last year.

Entries in the log books showed that 22,000 pangolins were killed and 834.4kg of their scales were supplied to the syndicate between May 2007 and January last year.


Senior Traffic programme officer Noorainie Awang Anak said yesterday the log books had lifted the shadowy veil hanging over the illegal trade of the endangered reptiles, which are hunted and sold for their alleged medicinal properties.

"The detailed record-taking by this criminal syndicate has given us a unique insight into the volumes of endangered pangolins being illegally traded in the region."

But Noorainie said the number of pangolins taken could be higher because six months worth of records were not recovered by the authorities during the raid.


The Sunda pangolin, which is found in much of Southeast Asia, is protected under Malaysian law.

It is so critically endangered that new legislation, the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, will introduce tougher penalties and offer more protection for the pangolins in Peninsular Malaysia when it comes into effect later this year.

Under the new law, a blanket ban on hunting, killing, breeding and possession of the animal, or any part of its anatomy, will be extended to cover the Orang Asli.


Despite the deterrent, Malaysian wildlife authorities made 19 pangolin-related seizures between 2002 and 2008, all of which resulted in successful prosecutions.

The most staggering haul was when authorities intercepted a lorry carrying 530 frozen pangolins bound for sale in the international black market.

The study also included a survey of 13 pangolin hunters, all but one of whom said they believed the pangolin was on the brink of extinction.

They claimed the black market value of the pangolin had soared in recent years, because diminishing numbers meant it was increasingly difficult to meet the voracious demand.

Plight of scaly anteaters disclosed
An enormous illegal trade in pangolins, an endangered scaly anteater from south east Asia, has been laid bare after the seizure of log books belonging to a smuggling ring in Malaysia.

Malcolm Moore The Telegraph 28 Oct 10;

The authorities in Malaysia, one of the last homes of the pangolin, opened up the log books to Traffic, an environmental NGO, after raiding a smuggling syndicate in Kota Kinabalu, in Sabah.

The books revealed that between May 2007 and January 2009 a total of 22,200 pangolins were bought by the smugglers in order to ship them onwards, probably to China. Another 834 tonnes of pangolin scales were also purchased by the syndicate.

"The detailed record-taking by this criminal syndicate has given us a unique insight into the volumes of endangered pangolins being illegally traded in the region," said Noorainie Awang Anak, at Traffic.

Pangolins are nocturnal anteaters and are the only mammals to be covered in large scaly armour. During the day, they tend to sleep curled up in a ball. They are found in tropical parts of Africa and Asia, but have been wiped out in most of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam because of huge demand from China.

Although the trade in pangolin is illegal under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), it is very commonly available in traditional Chinese medicine shops, which grind the scales into treatments.

In 2008, customs officials in Vietnam seized 23 tons of frozen pangolins in a single week.

"Pangolin is pretty common," said an assistant at the Tong Han Chun apothecary in Shanghai. "We use their scales to promote good blood circulation, to make breast milk flow and to reduce swelling. We charge around four to six yuan (40p to 60p) a gram."

The animal is also commonly eaten in restaurants in southern China. A chef from Guangdong province interviewed in the Beijing Science and Technology Daily said the animals were kept alive until ordered. "Then we hammer them unconscious, cut their throats and drain the blood. We have to boil them to remove the scales and then cut the meat into small pieces. Usually the customers take the blood home with them afterwards."

Traffic also surveyed 13 pangolin hunters in Sabah, with all but one saying they believed the pangolin was headed towards extinction.

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, numbers of wild Sunda Pangolins in Malaysia have halved in the past 15 years. However, because the creatures are nocturnal, and therefore difficult to track, a full estimate of their numbers has not been made.

Seized notebooks give unique insight into scale of illicit pangolin trade
WWF 28 Oct 10;

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 28th October 2010 - Stunning figures in traffickers’ logbooks indicate massive illegal capture and trade in endangered pangolins or scaly anteaters, finds a new TRAFFIC study.

A Preliminary Assessment of Pangolin Trade in Sabah analyses logbooks seized following a raid by Sabah Wildlife Department in 2009 on a syndicate’s pangolin trafficking premises in Kota Kinabalu, the capital city of the Malaysian State of Sabah in north Borneo.

The logbooks reveal that 22 200 pangolins were killed and 834.4 kg of pangolin scales were supplied to the syndicate between May 2007 and January 2009.

The Sabah Wildlife Department granted TRAFFIC access to the logbooks, which detail the volume, weight, source and prices of pangolins purchased by the syndicate during the 14 month period.

“TRAFFIC is grateful to the Wildlife Department for allowing us access to this information,” said Noorainie Awang Anak, Senior Programme Officer with TRAFFIC Southeast Asia and an author of the report.

“The detailed record-taking by this criminal syndicate has given us a unique insight into the volumes of endangered pangolins being illegally traded in the region.”

However, as Awang points out, the numbers could be even higher: no logbooks were recovered for the period August 2007 to February 2008 or for June 2008. Whether this is because the books were missing or because there was no smuggling during the period is not known.

The Sabah Wildlife Department and other enforcement agencies in the State have focused enforcement efforts on weeding out pangolin smugglers, resulting in successful prosecutions in all 19 pangolin-related seizures carried out between 2002 and 2008.

The biggest case involved the seizure of a container lorry carrying a hundred polystyrene boxes filled with 530 frozen pangolins meant for export. The two men arrested in this case were each sentenced to a fine of RM9,000 and six months jail.

The Sunda Pangolin, found in much of South-East Asia, is considered Endangered and the species is protected under Malaysian law. No international trade in any Asian pangolin species is permitted under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).

Despite this, pangolins are widely hunted and trafficked for their alleged medicinal properties. They are among the most commonly encountered mammals in Asia’s wildlife trade and alarming numbers have been seized throughout East and Southeast Asia in recent years. In 2008, Customs in Viet Nam seized a staggering 23 tonnes of frozen pangolins in a single week. Most trade is believed to be destined for China.

The report also presents the results of a survey of pangolin hunters interviewed on the west coast of Sabah. Hunters reported that high prices offered by middlemen was the main driver for the collection of pangolins, and this in turn was caused by the increasing difficulty in finding pangolins in the wild.

All but one of the 13 hunters interviewed said they believed the pangolin was headed towards extinction. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, numbers of wild Sunda Pangolins have halved in the past 15 years.

“The pangolin smuggling crisis can only be addressed through improved law enforcement and better information on the criminal syndicates behind the trade,” said Awang.

“Anyone with information on those behind these crimes against Malayasia’s natural heritage should pass it on to the relevant authorities for action.