wildsingapore news: pangolins

Showing posts with label pangolins. Show all posts

Showing posts with label pangolins. Show all posts

Commentary: Singapore’s ivory trade ban tackles elephant in room but work ahead a mammoth task

Singapore’s ivory ban is a win for conservation but we must double down on wider conservation efforts, says WWF-Singapore’s Kim Stengert.
Kim Stengert Channel NewsAsia 17 Aug 19;

SINGAPORE: This week marked the end of a long wait for Singapore to stop the sale of ivory and ivory products and a victory for those working to put this in place.

Over the last six months, Singapore authorities seized an unprecedented amount of 38 tonnes of pangolin scales and almost 10 tonnes of elephant ivory worth more than S$170 million - with some close to the largest seizures the world has seen.

Led by the National Parks Board (NParks), these acts of enforcement were a true testament of the country’s zero-tolerance to illegal wildlife trade.

Just two days after the most recent seizure of 15 baskets containing 815 birds over the National Day weekend, Singapore announced the latest highlight of our fight against illegal wildlife trade: An ivory ban.

THE WORK IS FAR FROM COMPLETE

Singapore seizes record haul of ivory alongside pangolin scales in S$66m shipment

Channel NewsAsia 23 Jul 19;

SINGAPORE: Singapore authorities on Sunday (Jul 21) seized S$66.2 million worth of elephant ivory and pangolin scales after they intercepted a transshipment bound for Vietnam.

Officials found 11.9 tonnes of pangolin scales and 8.8 tonnes of elephant ivory in a container from the Democratic Republic of Congo, said the National Parks Board, Singapore Customs and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority in a joint release on Tuesday.

The container was part of a shipment of three being transhipped through Singapore to Vietnam, and had been declared as timber.

However "upon inspection, sacks containing pangolin scales and elephant ivory were found in one of the containers", said the news release.

Malaysia: Attempt to smuggle pangolin scales, birds' nest from Sibu foiled

andy chua The Star 2 Jul 19;

SIBU: The Sibu branch of the Royal Malaysian Customs Department foiled an attempt to smuggle pangolin scales and raw bird's nest to Peninsular Malaysia using courier services.

State Customs director Datuk Sharifah Halimah Tuanku Taha, in a statement Tuesday (July 2), said officers at the Sibu airport cargo division had, on June 25, become suspicious of a box from a courier company.

Upon checking, it was discovered that the box contained 31.9kg of pangolin scales and 1.98kg of bird's nest with a market value of RM9,900.

She said the pangolin scales had an export value of between RM12,500 and RM20,000 per kg.

Malaysia: Pangolin santuary to be Sabah's new wildlife tourist attraction

Avila Geraldine New Straits Times 24 Jun 19;

KOTA KINABALU: A pangolin sanctuary, to be established within the protected Tawau Hills National Park, is set to become Sabah’s new wildlife tourist attraction.

Funded by Arizona Sabah Pangolin Sanctuary and Research Institute (Sapsari) with an initial start-up investment of RM1 million, the sanctuary is an effort by the state government to further protect arguably the world’s most poached and trafficked animal.

Deputy Chief Minister cum state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew said Tawau was picked as a suitable location for the pangolin sanctuary because it has a vast forest.

“It will be a suitable place for pangolins because there’s plenty of food supplies there in the form of insects such as termites and ants.

Malaysia: Sabah identified as potential site for pangolin research, conservation efforts

stephanie lee The Star 23 Jun 19;

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has been identified as a potential site for pangolin research and conservation efforts and a research site will be set up in Tawau district soon.

To accomplish this, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the establishment of the Sabah Pangolin Sanctuary and Research Institute (Sapsari) will be signed on Monday (June 24).

Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew said the MoU will be signed between the state government and Peter Chan, the founder and chief executive officer of US-based Sapsari Arizona.

Liew said the much-anticipated Sapsari is going to be a reality for the conservation of the critically-endangered Sunda pangolin.

Vietnam seizes 7.5 tons of elephant ivory, pangolin scales

Associated Press 14 Jun 19;

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Authorities have seized 7.5 tons of elephant ivory and pangolin scales in one of Vietnam’s biggest wildlife trafficking cases.

The 3.5 tons of ivory and 4 tons of pangolin scales were found Wednesday in barrels when customs officers checked a shipping container arriving at northern Hai Phong port, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

The steel barrels containing the ivory and scales were mixed with ones containing tar to conceal the trafficked animal parts from customs authorities.

Vietnam seizes 5 tonnes of pangolin scales from Nigeria

AFP 24 May 19;

Vietnam police have seized more than five tonnes of pangolin scales stashed in a cashew shipment from Nigeria, the government said Friday.

Communist Vietnam is a hotbed for the illegal wildlife trade, where animal products from elephant ivory to rhino horn and tiger bones are consumed domestically and also smuggled abroad.

Police on Thursday found 5.3 tonnes of pangolins scales hidden in a shipment from Nigeria at a port in southern Ba Ria Vung Tau province, according to Hai Quan, the official mouthpiece of Vietnam Customs.

"The scales were stuffed into 151 sacks inside a container... (and) bags of raw cashew nuts were used as a disguise in order to avoid detection from authorities," the online news website said Friday.

The government confirmed Thursday's haul and also announced a separate seizure of 8.3 tonnes of pangolin scales from "an African country" in the northern Haiphong port earlier this month.

New technology being tested to improve detection of illegal shipments

Vanessa Liu Straits Times 8 May 19;

SINGAPORE - The authorities are testing new technology that can more effectively detect illegal shipments including wildlife entering Singapore, especially through the sea checkpoints.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary for National Development Sun Xueling, speaking in Parliament on Wednesday (May 8), said that the Home Affairs Ministry and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority are testing a prototype of the Multi-Mode Passive Detective System, an automatic scanning system that uses machine-learning algorithms to detect explosives, drugs, humans and other contraband.

She was responding to questions posed by Mr Louis Ng (Nee Soon GRC) about the measures being taken by the Government to deter and detect the illegal trade of pangolins in Singapore, apart from relying on tip-offs and risk assessment work.

Indonesia: Chinese nationals arrested for alleged pangolin scale smuggling

Apriadi Gunawan The Jakarta Post 25 Apr 19;

Customs and Excise personnel in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, arrested two Chinese citizens for attempting to smuggle the scales of 44 pangolins through Kuala Namu Airport over the weekend.

Customs officers arrested the two as they were about to depart from the airport for Guangzhou on Saturday, according to Environment and Forestry Ministry security and law enforcement center (Gakkum) official Haluanto Ginting.

“The pangolin scales were hidden inside a number of items such as wallets, pockets, pillows, bags, envelopes and socks,” Haluanto told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Record seizures of pangolin scales: Smugglers ‘exploiting Singapore’s efficient ports’

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.”

Singapore seizes record haul of pangolin scales enroute to Vietnam

Reuters 4 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore has seized 12.9 tonnes of pangolin scales found in a shipping container destined for Vietnam, the biggest seizure of its kind globally in five years, authorities said on Thursday.

The scales of pangolin, the world’s most poached animal, were found on Wednesday packed in 230 bags in the container along with 177 kg (390 lb) of elephant ivory.

“The shipment was declared to contain frozen beef and was on the way from Nigeria to Vietnam,” Singapore Customs and the National Parks Board said, estimating the total value of the animal parts at more than $38 million.

Malaysia: Tougher laws fail to deter pangolin poachers

Olivia Miwil New Straits Times 23 Feb 19;

SABAH has prosecuted 23 cases related to pangolins since 2002, said state Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga.

Five cases were from Keningau, four in Lahad Datu, Tawau and Sandakan (three in each district), Papar and Kinabatangan (two in each district), and one each in Sipitang, Telupid, Beaufort and Luyang.

In recent years, an amendment was made to the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997, in which the world’s most trafficked animal had been upgraded as a “totally protected species”.

Those found hunting, consuming, possessing or selling pangolins or their parts could face a minimum fine of RM50,000 and a maximum fine of RM250,000 or a minimum prison term of one year and up to a maximum term of five years or both.

“Some of the cases were prosecuted under the new amendment, where heavier penalties were handed down to offenders and some are still serving their sentence.

“However, crimes against pangolins continue despite the state Wildlife Department trying its best to combat illegal poaching,” he said, adding there was a need for public cooperation in preventing pangolins from being poached and becoming extinct.

Pangolins: Rare insight into world's most trafficked mammal

Helen Briggs BBC News 13 Feb 19;

The secret life of the world's most trafficked mammal, the pangolin, has been caught on camera in Africa.

Footage gives a rare insight into the behaviour of the giant pangolin, the largest of all the scaly animals.

Observed by remote-operated cameras, a baby take a ride on its mother's back, while an adult climbs a tree.

Scientists are releasing the footage to highlight the plight of the animals, which are being pushed to extinction by illegal hunting for scales and meat.

Large numbers of their scales have been seized this month alone, including Malaysia's biggest-ever interception of smuggled pangolin products.

Malaysia: Local pangolin smuggling syndicate busted

Junaidi Ladjana, Recqueal Raimi New Straits Times 9 Feb 19;

TUARAN: Sabah police and wildlife enforcement team have uncovered a local pangolin smuggling syndicate which has been operating for seven years in Kota Kinabalu and Tuaran districts.

The syndicate was also involved in the processing of meats and skins of the fully protected animal.

Two days ago, police and enforcement team from the Sabah Wildlife Department raided a factory at Jalan Sepanggar, Kota Kiabalu, and a warehouse in Kampung Bontoi, Jalan Tamparuli, here, and seized live pangolins, frozen pangolins, pangolin scales and meat worth RM8.4 million.

Hong Kong customs seize record haul of pangolin scales bound for Vietnam

Reuters 1 Feb 19;

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong customs busted a massive endangered species smuggling operation from Africa, seizing a record quantity of pangolin scales along with more than 1,000 ivory tusks, as authorities step up the fight against illegal wildlife trafficking.

The value of the seized goods - which equates to around 500 elephants and up to 13,000 pangolins - was over HK$62 million, ($7.90 million) officials said on Friday. Originating in Nigeria, the shipment was bound for Vietnam, they added.

In a separate incident, customs officials in the northern Vietnamese port of Hai Phong discovered another 1.4 tonnes of pangolin scales in a shipping container sent from Nigeria, the state-run Vietnam News Agency reported on Friday.

Malaysia: Man nabbed for selling pangolin on social media

Olivia Miwil New Straits Times 4 Jan 19;

The 20-year-old man from Kota Belud was caught red-handed by the personnel for possessing a live pangolin at the back bonnet of a car at 11am yesterday.
KOTA KINABALU: A man who had used social media to sell a protected animal was arrested by Sabah Wildlife Department.

The 20-year-old man from Kota Belud was caught red-handed by the personnel for possessing a live pangolin at the back bonnet of a car at 11am yesterday.

“Acting on a tip-off from public, a team of four enforcement personnel was despatched to track and inspect a grey Proton Persona near a petrol station in Kota Belud town.

Malaysia: Pangolin scales worth RM36.62mil incinerated

Mohd Helmi Irwadi Mohd Nor New Straits Times 6 Dec 18;

PORT DICKSON: A total of 2.8 tonne of pangolin scales worth RM36.62 million were incinerated by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia (Perhilitan) at the Pusat Kualiti Alam here.

Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar said all the scales were confiscated in operations conducted by the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) since last year.

He said 407kg of scales were seized at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in May, 2017 while 2.1 tonne were seized at the West Port, Port Klang in Selangor, in September.

“In addition to that, a total of 291kg of scales were also confiscated through other operations in July last year.

Malaysia: Big returns reason why enforcement officers become masterminds in smuggling wildlife

MOHD JAMILUL ANBIA MD DENIN New Straits Times 4 Nov 18;

KUALA LUMPUR: Extraordinary profit is why some enforcement and government officers become masterminds in smuggling and the illicit trade of protected wildlife.

A source said these people were found to be colluding with poachers and have connections with international syndicates.

This was proven when several police officers as well as former officers of the Royal Customs Department were arrested in operations conducted by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia (Perhilitan) over the last few months.

Vietnam makes fresh ivory, pangolin haul from Nigeria

AFP Yahoo News 5 Oct 18;

Hanoi (AFP) - Vietnam has seized eight tonnes of pangolin scales and elephant ivory shipped from Nigeria, police said Friday, the second such haul in a week in a country which both consumes and trafficks huge volumes of endangered African wildlife.

The ivory and pangolin trade is banned by Vietnam, but sales continue to flourish on the black market due to demand domestically and from neighbouring China, which feeds the global $20 billion industry.

The eight-tonne shipment was discovered Thursday at a port in the coastal city of Danang, according to the Hai Quan online newspaper, a state-run mouthpiece for Vietnam's customs office, making it "the country's biggest ever bust over the past several years."

"The batch originated from Nigeria," it said, adding that officials took several hours to tally up the ivory tusks and pangolin scales, which were listed as "scrap metal" on the container's shipping bill.

Customs officials refused to comment when reached by AFP.

Last Friday, authorities in Hanoi found almost 1,000 kilograms of pangolin scales and elephant ivory on a commercial flight arriving from Nigeria.

Information in the communist state is tightly controlled by the government, which is fighting an uphill battle against the lucrative ivory and pangolin trade.

The timid and noctural pangolin, which rolls into a ball when threatened -- making them defenseless against poachers -- is one of the most heavily trafficked mammals.

It is sought after for its meat and the unproven medicinal properties of their scales.

While the sale of ivory is also officially outlawed in Vietnam since 1992, the trade persists in the open with shops selling tusks that shopkeepers claim pre-date the ban.

Last year 2.7 tonnes of tusks were found inside crates on the back of a truck in central Thanh Hoa province while a similar 3.5 tons were discovered in a sea port in Ho Chi Minh City in 2016.

Vietnam seizes nearly a ton of pangolin scales, ivory

AFP Yahoo News 30 Sep 18;

Hanoi (AFP) - Vietnam has seized around a ton of pangolin scales and ivory hidden inside dozens of boxes on a flight from Nigeria, state media reported, a haul highlighting the illegal wildlife trade routes connecting Africa and Southeast Asia.

Both the ivory and pangolin trade have been banned in Vietnam. But weak law enforcement in the communist state has allowed a black market to flourish and feed into a global multibillion dollar industry in animal parts and exotic pets.

Southeast Asian countries have become a busy thoroughfare for tusks trafficked from Africa and destined for other parts of Asia, mainly China. Pangolins are treasured in Vietnam and the region for their meat and alleged medicinal properties of their scales.

Authorities at Hanoi's airport found 805 kilograms of pangolin scales as well as 193 kilograms of ivory and ivory-derived products in two dozen boxes on Friday, said a report in the official newspaper of the customs department.

The goods were sent from two companies based in Nigeria, according to the labelling. They had arrived on a September 21 flight but were never picked up.

"The (intended) recipients of the cargo package have refused to receive the goods," the article said.

Photos showed a pile of the pangolin scales on the floor as inspectors went through the boxes, which were initially covered in an extra layer of wrapping and taped shut.

The tiny and shy pangolin, which resembles a scaly anteater, is the world's most heavily trafficked mammal and despite bans the trade remains rampant.

Vietnam outlawed the ivory trade in 1992 but illegal trade still persists and shops sell ivory pre-dating the ban for decorative and medicinal purposes.

The haul is the latest to make headlines in Vietnam, where seizures are infrequent but usually large.

Last year police found 2.7 tonnes of tusks inside cartons on the back of a truck in the central province of Thanh Hoa.

In October 2016 customs officials in Vietnam discovered about 3.5 tonnes of elephant tusks at Cat Lai port in Ho Chi Minh City.

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