Save the pangolin!

[waltky]

Save the pangolins!...

Shy pangolins need world spotlight to survive
Sunday 25th September, 2016 - Reclusive, gentle and quick to roll up into a ball, pangolins keep a low profile. But they are also the world's most heavily trafficked mammal, and experts at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) conference this week are ringing alarm bells over their survival.

Demand for pangolin meat and body parts has fuelled a bloodbath, and driven the scale-covered, ant-eating mammal towards extinction. More than a million pangolins are believed to have been poached from the wild in the past decade. Most are used to supply demand in China and Vietnam, where they are highly regarded as a delicacy and an ingredient in traditional medicine. At the CITES meeting in Johannesburg, conservationists will discuss moving pangolins into the highest protection category, which bans all international trade. "The pangolin today is regarded as the most heavily trafficked mammal in the world," CITES chief John Scanlon told AFP. "There has been a massive surge in the illegal take of the pangolin for its meat and for its scales."

Currently CITES allows for trade in pangolins but under strict conditions. "Existing laws are clearly failing to protect pangolins from the poachers. A complete international trade ban is needed now," said Heather Sohl, WWF-UK's wildlife advisor. There are four species of pangolin in Africa and four in Asia. Watchdogs say those in Asia are being eaten to extinction, while populations in Africa are declining fast. Research published in the early 2000s estimated populations in China to have declined by up to 94 percent, said Dan Challender, pangolin expert at the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

- Curl into a ball -

Pangolins are covered in overlapping scales, and have pink, sticky tongues almost as long as their bodies. When physically threatened, they curl into ball, making it easy for them to be picked up by hunters and put into a sack. About the size of a small dog, they are solitary, mostly nocturnal and cannot be farmed. "Pangolins are notoriously difficult to keep in captivity -- they only feed on wild ants and termites, and they are extremely prone to stress and dehydration, so they die," Ray Jansen, of the African Pangolin Working Group, told AFP. In Chinese traditional medicine, pangolin scales are ground into a powder believed to cure conditions from headaches and menstrual cramps to nose bleeding and lack of virility. The scales are sometimes even used as guitar plectrums.

In traditional African culture, some people believe in keeping a scale in their pockets to ward off evil. Zimbabweans used to present the mammals to President Robert Mugabe during his early years in office, but the practice has been discontinued. "In Shona and Zulu culture, a pangolin is regarded as the greatest gift you can bestow on a chief, statesman or an elder," said Jansen. Pangolin fat, blood and bones are also highly valued in African traditional medicine.

According to Jansen, in South Africa a pangolin can sell for anything between 10,000 rand ($730) to 80,000 rand ($5,800) depending on the client. India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Nigeria, Senegal and the United States are co-sponsoring the proposal to impose a total ban on pangolin trade. The CITES treaty, signed by 182 countries and the European Union, protects about 5,600 animal and 30,000 plant species from over-exploitation through commercial trade. The 12-day conference started Saturday and will sift through 62 proposals to tighten or loosen trade restrictions on some 500 species.

Shy pangolins need world spotlight to survive

See also:

Pangolin: The most trafficked mammal in the world

 

[ABikerSailor]

One of the main reasons they are being hunted to extinction is because the Chinese think that their scales have medicinal value.

Watched a segment on Vice channel the other day. It's pretty screwed up what is happening over there.

 

[aris2chat]

One of the main reasons they are being hunted to extinction is because the Chinese think that their scales have medicinal value.

Watched a segment on Vice channel the other day. It's pretty screwed up what is happening over there.

to the chinese, almost everything has some medicinal value of some kind

 

[waltky]

Big ol' pangolin shipment seized...

Cameroon Seizes 670 kg of Pangolin Bound for Malaysia
December 21, 2016 — Cameroon says it has intercepted more than 670 kilograms of African pangolin that authorities say were being smuggled from the Central African country to Malaysia. The pangolin is the world’s most trafficked mammal, and conservationist groups are calling for severe sanctions on the three traffickers who have been arrested.

Cameroon customs lieutenant, Wara Wara Francois Noel, of the Yaounde-Nsimalen international airport told VOA the recovered pangolin scales were found in several meat packets. He said the three smugglers had bribed their way into the airport, but authorities were mobilized after getting a tip from wildlife officials. He says two weeks after the tip, his staff finally intercepted the truck loaded with pangolins at the plane bound for Malaysia. He says although it was the first large-scale interception of the protected mammal at the Yaounde-Nsimalen international airport, authorities say the have been regularly seizing three to five kilograms of scales and meat of the pangolins hidden in little containers.

Pangolin, the world’s most trafficked mammal.​

Six months ago, Hong Kong authorities announced a massive seizure of four tons of pangolin scales that had arrived from Cameroon and were being smuggled to Asian countries. Among the organizations assisting officials in this ongoing case is the local NGO, the Last Great Ape Association, or LAGA. Its deputy director Eric Kaba Tah says traffickers have often able to buy their way around sanctions when caught in Cameroon. "According to the 1994 wildlife law, anybody arrested or found in possession of parts or whole of a protected wildlife species is presumed to have captured or killed that animal and is liable to a prison term of one to three years and or a 10 million CFA [$20,000] maximum fine," said Tah. "If the law were applied as it was supposed to be applied, we would have been seeing many wildlife criminals behind the bars."

Some cultures consider pangolin meat a delicacy and use pangolin scales in traditional medicine. High demand has fueled an international criminal trade that has severely threatened the survival of the world’s eight pangolin species. It is estimated that more than a million pangolins have been snatched from the wild in the past decade. In September, the world’s largest wildlife protection convention, known as CITES, recommended a complete ban on international commercial trade.

Cameroon Seizes 670 kg of Pangolin Bound for Malaysia

 

[anotherlife]

One of the main reasons they are being hunted to extinction is because the Chinese think that their scales have medicinal value.

Watched a segment on Vice channel the other day. It's pretty screwed up what is happening over there.

to the chinese, almost everything has some medicinal value of some kind

Yes and this is a big problem. World population doubled because of the Chinese alone. And they want to pimp themselves with these poor animals, not stopping even at their extinction. How about the rest of humanity driving the Chinese to extinction? Just as a poetic balancing measure?

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - Good onna Chinamens...

China seizes 3.4 tons of illegal pangolin scales
Dec. 28, 2016 -- Customs officials arrested three people after seizing 3.4 tons of illegally trafficked pangolin scales from a port in Shanghai, the largest haul in China.

Shanghai Customs officials said they found the scales of the endangered animals on Dec. 10 in a container of 101 bags imported from Africa among declared timbers. Customs officials said the haul represents about 5,000 to 7,500 pangolins that were killed, according to the China News Service. On the black market, the 6,800 pounds of scales, used in traditional Chinese medicine, would be worth more than $2 million, according to state media.

The pangolin is among eight species banned in international trade by 182 nations. They weigh about 5 to 7 pounds and sport an armor of "scales" -- actually made of the same material as human fingernails. Eight species of pangolin are found in Africa and Asia, listed from "vulnerable" to "critically endangered."​

But much more may have been smuggled. The officials said they determined the suspects have been buying pangolin scales in Africa and smuggling them to China since 2015. Pangolins, scaly mammals that resemble an artichoke with legs, have declined in numbers because of the high demand for their meat and scales in China and Vietnam. The meat is considered a delicacy and the scales -- made of the same material as human fingernails -- are believed to have medicinal powers and are often boiled and used to treat palsy and stimulate lactation, among other things.

The Chinese pangolin weighs between 4.4 and 22 pounds with scales accounting for about 15 percent of their body weight, according to the Zoological Society of London. All eight species of pangolins are endangered. The 182 nations that belong to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, including China, voted in September to ban trade in all eight species. Eight species of pangolin are found in Africa and Asia, listed from "vulnerable" to "critically endangered."

China seizes 3.4 tons of illegal pangolin scales

 

[waltky]

Kinda reminds ya of the movie The Freshman w/ Marlon Brando...

China investigates 'rare pangolin banquet' in Guangxi
Wed, 08 Feb 2017 - Pictures of the feast have been circulating online and drawing condemnation.

Chinese authorities have launched an investigation into whether officials held a banquet where the endangered pangolin was served, local media reported. It comes after pictures of the feast, held in the southern province of Guangxi in 2015, resurfaced online in recent days and caused anger. But Guangxi officials have reportedly denied the allegations. The pangolin is on China's list of endangered wild animals. Those caught eating it can be jailed for up to 10 years.

'In love with this taste of wildlife'

In recent days a post by Weibo user Ah_cal from July 2015 began circulating online. In the post, which has since been deleted, Ah_cal included several pictures of what appears to be a lavish Chinese banquet and a close-up photo of a pot of cooked meat. The Weibo user said he was hosted to a meal by officials where "cooked pangolin was served to us to eat". "It was my first time eating it, the taste was very good, and I have already deeply fallen in love with this taste of wildlife!" he says in the post. It attracted widespread condemnation online, and Chinese forestry officials have since said they are probing the incident, reported Chinese media.

The pangolin is the world's most trafficked mammal​

News outlets have identified the Weibo user as a Hong Kong businessman who visited the city of Nanning in Guangxi as part of a group of entrepreneurs exploring investment opportunities. The Guangxi Investment Promotion Bureau has since confirmed that it hosted the business delegation in 2015, but denied it held the banquet. "We have diligently identified the diners in the photographs, and none of them belong to Guangxi Investment Promotion Bureau's leadership or its staff," a spokesman told newspaper Chengdu Shangbao. A commentary carried by the Chinese Communist Party's official mouthpiece People's Daily raised the possibility that other provincial government departments could have hosted the banquet.

In traditional Chinese medicine pangolin scales are thought to help detoxify the body​

It also lambasted the Guangxi authorities. "The pangolin's scales are so hard, while the response from officials is so weak - with such a clear contrast, it is hard to dispel the doubts that have broken out," it said. The pangolin is the world's most trafficked mammal - pangolins are believed to make up around 20% of all illegal trade in species. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is believed that consuming the roasted scales of the pangolin can help to detoxify one's body and relieve palsy, while the animal's meat is considered a luxurious delicacy. In September, the animal received extra protections at the Cites meeting where trade in eight species of pangolins was banned.

China investigates 'rare pangolin banquet' in Guangxi - BBC News

 

[waltky]

Thousands of disemboweled pangolins found...

Thousands of disemboweled pangolins found
Sat, Feb 03, 2018 - More than 13 tonnes, or about 4,000, descaled and disemboweled pangolins were discovered in a cargo container at Kaohsiung’s Pier 66, the Kaohsiung Customs Administration Office said on Thursday, adding that it has launched an investigation to track the group behind the illegal imports.

The original shipping company failed to return a shipping container to its original address on Monday, saying that the recipient refused to accept the shipment, the Kaohsiung office said, adding that it opened the container on Tuesday to inspect the contents, as it found the application suspicious. The front section of the container contained frozen sardines, a suspected cover for the pangolins in the rear of the container, the office said. The container was shipped from Malaysia to Kaohsiung on Dec. 27 last year, but had remained in an unloading bay, as the recipient had not submitted its customs form, the office said. “We suspect the recipient of the container is a shell company, as the contents of the shipping manifest were evidently false,” the office said, adding that it suspects the group behind the trafficking knew the pangolins would be found and hoped to swap the contents of the container while it was still in the harbor. “However, it is believed that the group was unable to find a good opportunity to make the swap and decided to return the container before making another attempt to smuggle in the pangolins,” the office said.

Kaohsiung Customs Office deputy director Lien Yung-chieh, fourth left, and customs officers on Thursday stand in front of boxes of descaled and disemboweled pangolins that were smuggled into Taiwan from Malaysia.​

Had the contents of the container made it past customs, the pangolins would have been sold to restaurants as a gourmet delicacy, the office said. “Pangolins are being sold for about NT$2,000 [US$68.41] per kilogram and many groups are trafficking pangolins in the hope of making a profit,” the office said. According to Taiwanese law and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, pangolins are a protected species and their trade is heavily restricted. The Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法) also prohibits the import or export of pangolins unless agreed to by the government, and offenders face prison terms of between six months and five years, and fines of between NT$300,000 and NT$1.5 million.

Taiwan is likely only the transshipment point because of the large number of pangolins found. The plan was probably to transfer the cargo to another ship intended for other nations in East Asia, an office section chief surnamed Kao (高) said. “We believe the intended receiver in Taiwan is a go-between used to facilitate the transshipment as part of a network. The cargo was likely headed for China or Vietnam, where there is a known demand for pangolin meat,” Kao said. “There is not such a big market for pangolin meat in Taiwan. People know it is a protected species and that it is illegal to eat pangolin, so any restaurant offering the meat is usually immediately reported to the authorities,” he said. Customs officials are still unpacking the cargo and recording each item as evidence for the investigation, Kaohsiung Customs Office deputy director Lien Yung-chieh (連永杰) said. The case and materials are to be turned over to the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office for further investigation.

Thousands of disemboweled pangolins found - Taipei Times