NEO CHAI CHIN Today Online 10 Apr 19;
SINGAPORE — Two massive seizures here of pangolin scales in less than a week show that transnational organised networks are exploiting Singapore’s efficient ports, said wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic on Wednesday (April 10).
Commending the seizure of the shipments, Traffic senior communications officer Elizabeth John said the Singapore authorities need to work with the international community to uncover the criminals behind them.
“This should be the next line of inquiry for investigators,” said Ms John, who is based in Malaysia. “From previous cases, it is clearly the result of organised networks.”
It could be an extensive network of buyers and middlemen, presumably sourcing animals from a large number of individuals and consolidating the pangolin scales from across multiple locations in Central and West Africa — where the two pangolin species involved in Monday’s seizure are found, she said.
Alternatively, there have been cases in the past of leakages from official stockpiles of seized items and this is a possibility that the source countries in Africa should look into, she said.
“The shipment would need to be assembled, put aboard a vessel and offloaded at its destination — all of which requires a high degree of coordination and points the finger firmly at organised crime,” said Ms John.
A full investigation could throw valuable light on the trade dynamics and mode of operation of the traffickers, she said.
NPARKS WORKING WITH OVERSEAS EXPERTS
Asked if anyone has been arrested in relation to the two seizures, the National Parks Board (NParks) said investigations are ongoing.
It is working with overseas experts and sharing information with international organisations like Interpol to assist in further investigations and enforcement, said a spokesperson.
NParks said the authorities take a zero-tolerance stance on the use of Singapore as a conduit to engage in illegal wildlife trade, as well as the illegal sale or keeping of wildlife.
Under a global agreement called the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, international trade in pangolin is banned.
The seizure on Monday — the second in five days — amounted to 12.7 tonnes and was the equivalent of about 21,000 pangolins. It is worth about US$38.1 million (S$51.6 million), said the NParks, Singapore Customs and Immigrations and Checkpoints Authority on Wednesday.
On April 3, the authorities seized 12.9 tonnes of scales worth over S$52 million.
Both shipments were on their way from Nigeria to Vietnam and are among the largest seizures seen worldwide.
NParks said the scales will be destroyed to prevent them from re-entering the market.
MOST HEAVILY TRAFFICKED
Pangolins are among the most heavily trafficked wild mammals on earth. Of the eight pangolin species, four are African while four are Asian.
Their scales are used in traditional medicines, while their meat is considered a delicacy and seen by some to have medicinal value, said Traffic in a Dec 2017 report called The Global Trafficking of Pangolins: A Comprehensive Summary of Seizures and Trafficking Routes from 2010-2015. Their skins are made into leather products.
RISING PROMINENCE OF NIGERIA-VIETNAM ROUTE?
While the Nigeria-to-Vietnam trafficking route is not new, the seizures show the route could be rising in prominence, said Ms John.
Several recent reports of seizures have involved this route. In February, for instance, Vietnam’s Customs News site reported seizures of pangolin scales and ivory that were shipped from Apapa port in Nigeria to a port in Hai Phong in Vietnam.
With the two seizures in Singapore, other South-east Asian countries should be more vigilant of shipments on this route, said Ms John.
According to the 2017 Traffic report, China and the United States were identified as the most common destinations for international pangolin trafficking from 2010 to 2015.
China was the main destination for large-quantity shipments of scales involving more than a tonne, but other destinations include Hong Kong, the Netherlands and Vietnam, the report said.
Trafficking routes are constantly shifting and new trade routes emerge every year, the report noted.
Second largest pangolin seizure in 5 days; combined haul of 25.6 tonnes
Today Online 10 Apr 19;
SINGAPORE — Just five days after seizing a record 12.9 tonnes of pangolin scales, the authorities on Monday (April 8) confiscated another shipment of a similar volume — 12.7 tonnes — that was also on its way from Nigeria to Vietnam.
The combined amount of trafficked pangolin scales seized this month is a staggering 25.6 tonnes.
The latest haul was hidden in a 40-foot container and declared to contain cassia seeds, said the National Parks Board (NParks), Singapore Customs and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority in a statement on Wednesday.
When inspected, officers discovered pangolin scales taken from around 21,000 pangolins packed in 474 bags. They are worth about US$38.1 million (S$51.6 million), the agencies said.
12.7 tonnes of pangolin scales packed into 474 gunny sacks were seized on 8 Apr 2019 in Singapore. Photo: NParks
The scales seized on Monday are from two species that are native to Africa — the White-bellied Tree Pangolin and the Giant Ground Pangolin. Both are listed as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The scales seized last week also came from these two species, along with scales from Black-bellied Tree Pangolin and Temminck’s Ground Pangolin.
Before this month, Singapore’s two previous seizures of pangolin scales took place in 2015 and 2016 and amounted to 440kg.
The previous largest known seizure of pangolin scales was in China, where nearly 12 tonnes were seized in 2017.
Under a global agreement called the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, international trade in pangolin is banned.
Under Singapore’s Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act, those who illegally import, export and re-export wildlife can be fined up to S$500,000 and jailed for up to two years.
The same penalties apply to transit or transshipment of illegal wildlife species, including their parts and derivatives.
DID YOU KNOW?
Pangolins are solitary and primarily nocturnal animals.
There are eight pangolin species in the world found on two continents.
Singapore is home to the critically endangered Sunda Pangolin, which lives in various forested areas, but mainly in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.
Singapore authorities seize 12.7 tonnes of pangolin scales in 2nd haul within a week
Channel NewsAsia 10 Apr 19;
SINGAPORE: Singapore has intercepted another illegal shipment of pangolin scales just five days after a record haul was seized.
The second haul was detected on Monday (Apr 8) in a 40-footer container that was on its way from Nigeria to Vietnam, the National Parks Board (NParks), Singapore Customs and Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said in a media release on Wednesday.
The container was declared to contain cassia seeds, but upon inspection, 12.7 tonnes of pangolin scales worth about US$38 million (S$52 million) were uncovered, authorities said.
The pangolin scales, which filled 474 bags, came from two species and around 21,000 pangolins would have been killed for them.
The scales seized were from the giant ground pangolin and the white-bellied tree pangolin, said NParks. Both species are considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Combined with the nearly 13-tonne find last week, the total amount of pangolin scales seized on Apr 3 and Apr 8 is a record 25.6 tonnes.
In 2015 and 2016, Singapore made two pangolin scales seizures, amounting to 440kg.
International trade in pangolin is prohibited under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), which Singapore is a signatory to.
Under Singapore's Endangered Species (Import & Export) Act, anyone convicted of the illegal import, export and re-export of wildlife, their parts and derivatives can be fined up to S$500,000 and/or jailed up to two years.
Pangolin scales are used in traditional medicines in East Asia despite little evidence that they have any curative effects.
Source: CNA/hm(ms)
Second 12-tonne haul of pangolin scales seized in less than a week
Vanessa Liu Straits Times 10 Apr 19;
SINGAPORE - Less than a week after a record 12.9 tonnes of pangolin scales were seized from a container by the authorities here, another 12.7 tonnes have been uncovered in a joint operation by the National Parks Board (NParks), Singapore Customs and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).
The 40ft (12m) container that was on its way by ship from Nigeria to Vietnam was declared to contain "cassia seeds" but was found on Monday (April 8) to be holding the animal parts, estimated to be worth about $51.6 million, in 474 bags at the Pasir Panjang Scanning Station.
The haul came from two species, the white-bellied tree pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis) and the giant ground pangolin (Smutsia gigantea) and are likely to have come from 21,000 pangolins.
The scales of both species were also found in the previous haul on April 3.
The previous 12.9-tonne seizure of pangolin scales last week was the largest ever on record - surpassing the previous record of 11.9 tonnes seized in Shenzhen, China, in 2017.
The combined 25.6 tonnes seized in the two hauls in April were about 58 times the combined weight of two pangolin scale shipments intercepted in Singapore in 2015 and 2016 that amounted to about 440kg.
NParks, Singapore Customs and ICA have a risk assessment framework in place to help target shipments involved in illegal wildlife trade. Information is also shared among international agencies.
World record haul of pangolin scales worth $52 million seized from container at Pasir Panjang
The scales of the pangolin, believed to be the world's most highly trafficked mammal, are in high demand in Asia for use in traditional Chinese medicine despite there being no proven medical benefit from their use.
Singapore is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (Cites) and is committed to the international effort to curb illegal wildlife trade.
Elephants and pangolins are protected species under Cites. International trade in elephant ivory and pangolin is prohibited.
Under the Endangered Species (Import & Export) Act, the maximum penalty for illegal import, export and re-export of wildlife is a fine of up to $500,000 and/or two years' imprisonment.
The same penalties apply to transit or transhipment of illegal wildlife species, including their parts and derivatives.
Investigations are ongoing.
2 busts in Singapore reveal 38,000 endangered pangolins lost
ANNABELLE LIANG, Associated Press Yahoo News 11 Apr 19;
SINGAPORE (AP) — Singapore seized more than 28 tons of pangolin scales belonging to around 38,000 of the endangered mammals in the past week, a global record that spurred calls for more protection for pangolins, whose scales are used in traditional medicine.
The scales were linked to four species of pangolins native to Africa.
A record 14.2 tons of the scales were found hidden among packets of frozen beef in shipping containers on April 3. Five days later, they found 14 more tons in 474 bags in another container. The National Parks Board, Singapore Customs and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said in a statement Wednesday that the cargo was declared as cassia seeds. Both shipments were en route from Nigeria to Vietnam.
"The sheer size of these two latest seizures is unprecedented and will undoubtedly prove a major setback to the traffickers concerned," said Richard Thomas of monitoring network Traffic.
He warned that the seizures themselves won't put the traffickers out of business. "The quantities of pangolins involved point to sourcing, processing and distribution on an industrial scale," Thomas said.
The pangolin is said to be the most widely trafficked mammal in the world, and its scales are in high demand in Asia for use in traditional Chinese medicine. The scales are made of keratin, the same material in human fingernails. Their meat is also considered a delicacy in China and other Asian countries.
Wildlife groups are concerned that the busts point to a jump in poaching of pangolins.
"The World Health Organization recently endorsed traditional medicine and the industry appears keen to grow this market, outside of China, Vietnam and beyond," said Neil D'Cruze, the global wildlife adviser at the World Animal Protection. "This is an alarming move for some wildlife species such as pangolins, as it poses a real conservation and animal welfare threat."
Pangolins are an extremely lucrative catch, he said. In rural communities where they're hunted, poachers can make up to the equivalent of a full year's salary from catching just one pangolin. Feeding "the insatiable demand" are middlemen traffickers who also profit from the trade that's reaching more remote communities to hunt the animal, he added.
Paul Thomson, an official at the Pangolin Specialist Group, said it looks like the pangolin poaching has increased but figures were difficult to ascertain.
"The illegal trade in pangolin parts has been going on for decades. However, pangolins have typically been overlooked in terms of concerted conservation attention and action," Thomson told The Associated Press. "This is changing thanks to growing awareness of pangolins. And this awareness has partly been driven by the high volumes of trafficking seen today."
In February, Malaysian officials seized 30 tons of pangolin and pangolin products. This included live and frozen pangolins and 361 kilograms (795 pounds) of their scales.
Earlier that month, Hong Kong said it had seized ivory tusks and 8.3 tons of pangolin scales belonging to as many as 13,000 pangolins. The shipment, which originated in Nigeria, was bound for Vietnam.
Singapore made two markedly smaller pangolin scale busts in 2015 and 2016 amounting to 440 kilograms (970 pounds). Those found to have illegally imported, exported or re-exported wildlife, including their parts, face a maximum punishment of two years in prison and a fine of 500,000 Singapore dollars ($367,000).
"There has never been a more opportune moment for full and thorough international investigations and collaborations to take place to find out who has perpetrated these criminal acts and bring those behind them to face justice," Thomas said.
