KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nearly 900,000 pangolins are
believed to have been trafficked worldwide in the past two decades, a
wildlife watchdog said, highlighting the challenge in tackling the
illicit trade.
As the world’s most heavily trafficked mammal, the creatures are targeted
for their body parts which are highly valued in traditional medicine in
countries including China and Vietnam, and their meat is seen as a delicacy.
Also known as the scaly anteater, the shy, primarily nocturnal animals
have been heavily poached for years in biodiverse Southeast Asia and are
being increasingly targeted in Africa. In a new report, watchdog TRAFFIC
estimated about 895,000 pangolins had been smuggled between 2000 and 2019 worldwide.
It also noted that over 96,000 kilograms of the creatures’ scales were seized in Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam between 2017 and 2019 alone.
“Not a day goes by without a wildlife seizure taking place in Southeast
Asia, and all too often in volumes that are jaw dropping,” said Kanitha
Krishnasamy, director for TRAFFIC in the region.
In 2016 the pangolin was given the highest level of protection by the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), meaning all trade in the creatures is banned. Prior to that, trade was allowed under
strict conditions.
But protection groups say the illicit business is still rampant and
TRAFFIC called for stronger laws and penalties, and for authorities to shut
down markets and online platforms selling protected wildlife.
Researchers investigating the origin of the deadly coronavirus outbreak in
China have said the endangered animal may be the link that facilitated the
spread of the illness to humans.
Scientists have long suspected that the virus, which has killed more than
2,100 people and infected 74,000, was passed from an animal to a human at a market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.
TRAFFIC also said about 225,000 kilograms of African elephant
ivory, 100,000 pig-nosed turtles and 45,000 songbirds were seized in
Southeast Asia in recent years. — NNN-AGENCIES