Malaysia: 49 pangolins seized from taxi

Najihah Roslan New Straits Times 23 Jul 13;

BOUND FOR CHINA: Thai cabbie hired by syndicate to smuggle out animals

BUKIT KAYU HITAM: POLICE rescued 49 pangolins when they detained a Thai taxi driver at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex border checkpoint on Sunday.

Initial investigations showed that the 57-year-old taxi driver was hired by an international syndicate to deliver the animals.

The scaly anteaters, worth RM50,000, were believed to be destined for the Chinese market. They were found alive in the boot of the taxi when the man was nabbed at 7pm.

General Operations Force officer Assistant Superintendent Rosdi Ghani said the suspect, a full-time taxi driver in Thailand, was hired to smuggle the pangolins out of Malaysia.

"These exotic animals were supposed to be shipped to China via Thailand,"

Pangolin soup is extremely popular in China.

Their scales, which some believe to have healing properties, are widely used as an ingredient in traditional medicine.

"In Thailand, the meat could cost up to RM350 per kilogramme. Just imagine how much money the syndicates from China are willing to pay for this endangered species," Rosdi said.

He added that the case had been handed over to the state Wildlife and National Parks Department for further action.