Researchers explore secret lives of world's most trafficked mammal

SEPTEMBER 19, 2019

by Joann Adkins, Florida International University

For the first-time ever, scientists have deployed animal-borne cameras on pangolins—the world's most trafficked wild mammal.

They look like an armored anteater (they're not, though they do eat ants), curl up in a ball like an armadillo, but are more closely related to dogs. They exist in their own taxonomic order—Pholidota. They are covered in scales made of keratin, making them the only truly scaly mammal on the planet. They are predominantly nocturnal, elusive, understudied, and their populations are in trouble.

Eight species of pangolins exist in Africa and Asia and have long been exploited for food and medicine. Today they are poached for international wildlife trafficking for their scales. All eight are threatened with extinction. Nearly 1 million pangolins have been taken from the wild in the past three years in Africa alone. Pangolins are in need of urgent conservation action, according to Matthew H. Shirley, a researcher in FIU's Tropical Conservation Institute.

Shirley leads a team amassing much-needed data about these elusive and relatively unknown animals. Baseline knowledge about their biology, ecology and cultural significance currently does not exist, and conservation officials do not have the information they need to develop management programs to protect and restore populations.

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Hunt for bogus asthma cure threatens pangolins

The most trafficked mammal on the planet is in dangerous decline

Robin McKie

Sun 24 Mar 2019 08.59 GMT

One of nature’s most remarkable creatures, the pangolin, is being driven to extinction as hunting and trafficking have soared in recent years. Studies have discovered that hundreds of thousands of these distinctive, scaly animals are now being killed every year to satisfy markets in Asia, making it the most trafficked and poached mammal on Earth.

The pangolin is hunted for its meat – and also for its scales, which are believed to have important medicinal properties as cures for poor circulation, skin complaints and asthma.

Last January, authorities in Hong Kong seized 8.3 tonnes of pangolin scales in a shipment from Nigeria bound for Vietnam. It was one of the largest confiscation of the animal’s scales ever made and its weight suggests that around 13,800 animals died to make up the consignment.

In addition, in February, Malaysian customs officers seized 1,800 boxes that contained 30 tonnes of frozen pangolins and pangolin parts. Ironically, the confiscation was made only a few days before World Pangolin Day was held on 16 February this year.

Read on

Pangolins, the World's Most Trafficked Mammals, Move Closer to U.S. Endangered Species Act Protection

Washington, D.C. -- Responding to a scientific petition by conservation groups, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today said Endangered Species Act protections may be warranted for seven species of pangolin, one of the most sought-after and poached wild animals in the world. With more than 1,100,000 pangolins estimated to have been trafficked globally from 2006 through 2015, Born Free USA, the Center for Biological Diversity, Humane Society International (HSI), The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) petitioned to protect the species in July 2015.

Following today's preliminary positive finding on the petition, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will now invite information from scientists and the public about the pangolins' status and threats to determine whether an Endangered listing would be appropriate.

"This is an important first step in the fight to protect pangolins," said Jeff Flocken, North American Regional Director for IFAW. "Pangolins have been silently killed and trafficked for far too long. It's time to recognize the grave situation threatening the survival of the species and offer them the protections they rightfully deserve."

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Myanmar’s illegal pangolin trade booming

The Illegal trade in live pangolins, their meat, and their scales in Myanmar is booming says TRAFFIC published in Global Ecology and Conservation. Their report identifies the Special Development Zone of Mong La as a particular concern.

Surveys of Mong La’s morning market, wildlife trophy shops and wild meat restaurants by the paper’s authors during four visits from 2006 to 2015 found 42 bags of scales, 32 whole skins, 16 foetuses or pangolin parts in wine, and 27 whole pangolins openly for sale, clearly indicating this town is as a significant hub of the pangolin trade. 

The origin of the pangolins offered for sale in Mong La appears to include pangolins sourced from Myanmar itself, as well as from neighbouring countries, and potentially Africa—ivory, rhino horn and hippo teeth from Africa have all been observed in recent years in this market.

Myanmar is an important transit country for the smuggling of pangolins and other wildlife. Mong La is situated in the Shan State of Myanmar on the border with China, and caters exclusively for the Chinese market, where demand for pangolins is high.

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Hong Kong intercepts 2 tons of pangolin scales

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Kevin Heath

Hong Kong customs department has announced that on Tuesday its officials intercepted and confiscated 2 tons of pangolin scales. The scales have been valued at over USD 1.2 million and originated from Nigeria.

Customs officials at the Kwai Chung Customhouse Cargo Examination Compound became suspicious of the container as it arrived in Hong Kong and on further examinations they found nearly 2,000kg of pangolin scales.

With an adult pangolin provide approx. 1 kg of scales the seized shipment represents the death of 2,000 pangolins also known as scaly ant-eaters.

All 4 species of pangolins found in Africa are classed a vulnerable in the IUCN Red list and are also on the CITES Appendix II lists to control international trade which has surged in recent years as asian pangolin species have crashed in number die to poaching activities.

Source ...

Pangolins: What are they, why are they so endangered and what can we do to help?

These incredible creatures are completely unique but could be lost forever

LIZZIE DEARDEN

Wednesday 04 March 2015

Conservationists are battling to save the pangolin, the most illegally traded animal in the world, before it is “eaten to extinction”.

Prince William recently quipped that the bizarre creatures, which are the world’s only scaly mammals, run “the risk of becoming extinct before most people have even heard of them”.

So, what are pangolins?

Also known as scaly anteaters because of their appearance, long tongues and favourite snacks, pangolins are mammals that inhabit tropical forests, dry woodlands and the savannah.

There are eight species still in existence found in India, China, south-east Asia and parts of Africa.

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Pangolins are being eaten into extinction

The heavy-duty scales of the pangolin are unfortunately no defence against human hunters

The enigmatic pangolin, or scaly anteater, is literally being eaten out of existence, report the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).

According to the latest update of The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, all eight species are now threatened with extinction.

Resembling an artichoke with legs and a tail, the pangolin is the world’s only truly scaly mammal.

However, their scales act as armour against natural predators but offer no defence against poachers.

The IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Pangolin Specialist Group, which is hosted by ZSL, warns that pangolins are now the most illegally traded mammal in the world, with more than one million individuals believed to have been taken from the wild in the past decade. 

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Huge pangolin seizure in China

Pangolins being decimated by illegal trade

Customs officers in Guangdong, China, have seized more than 7.8 tonnes of frozen pangolins and 1,800 kg of pangolin scales from a fishing vessel after it was stopped for inspection.

International trade in Asian pangolin species is banned under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). Two of the four species are classified as Endangered by IUCN.

2090 frozen pangolins
The suspect fishing vessel was sighted by a Guangdong Customs patrol and, when boarded, customs officials found 2090 frozen pangolins each weighing between 1-10 kg as well as 92 cases of pangolin scales.

The crew of 5 Chinese and 1 Malaysian national were arrested; they claimed they had been hired to sail the vessel from Xiangzhou Port, Zhuhai, to South-East Asia to pick up the illicit cargo.

The Malaysian crew member was said to have received instructions by satellite phone on where to rendezvous at sea to pick up the contraband. The smugglers were intercepted before they could transfer the cargo to another vessel off Gaolan Island.

Organized crime
"The use of satellite phones and trans-shipment of cargo at sea are indicative of the increasingly sophisticated methods being used by the organized criminal gangs involved in wildlife crime," said James Compton, TRAFFIC's Asia Pacific co-ordinator.

The Chinese authorities have shared intelligence on the seizures with enforcement agencies operating in the region, including INTERPOL, World Customs Organization (WCO) and ASEAN-Wildlife Enforcement Network and CITES, and are seeking co-operation with Malaysia's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on a joint investigation.

"Guangdong Customs are to be congratulated on this important action against wildlife smugglers operating between South-East Asia and China," said Professor Xu Hongfa, Director of TRAFFIC's China Programme.

26 tonnes of animal parts seized since 2007
A China Customs official quoted by the State news agency, Xinhua, noted that between 2007 and the end of June 2010 a total of 292 cases involving the smuggling of endangered species had been investigated in China. In total, 38,599 animal parts had been seized, weighing a total of 26.63 tonnes plus more than 55 tonnes of 2,753 rare plant varieties.


http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/pangolin-trade.html

Live pangolins and dried snake skins seized in Thailand (Via Herp Digest)

Live pangolins and dried snake skins seized in Thailand

Traffic -Bangkok, Thailand, 20th April 2011-A van packed to the brim with 173 live pangolins and 130 kilogrammes of dried snake skins was confiscated by Thai Customs officers in the wee hours of this morning in Prachuap Khiri Khan.

Officers stopped the white truck and its driver at 3 a.m in the town of Pranburi.

The Thai national who was arrested is believed to have transported the cargo from the Southern Thai town of Had Yai to Songkla and was headed to Bangkok.

Prachuap Khiri Khan, where the items were seized, is a bottleneck for transportation and an ideal location for authorities to focus their enforcement attention.

It is a transit point through which all traffic from Indonesia and Malaysia must pass to access central and northern Thailand, as well as the rest of Indochina.

Thai Press reports say the truck driver was held for violations under Thailand's Customs regulations and for flouting laws that govern international trade in wildlife under the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna.



The endangered Pangolin commonly turns up in seizures around the region and is trafficked in large volumes for the illegal meat and medicine markets.

The suspect and the wildlife seized have been handed over to the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department for further investigation and action.

This recent seizure follows close on the heels of the Customs Department's recent find of 1,800 monitor lizards which smugglers were attempting to traffic across the border from Malaysia in several pickup trucks.

"Thailand's Customs authorities should be congratulated for catching this shipment," said TRAFFIC Regional Director Dr. William Schaedla. 

"Pangolin trafficking up the Malay Peninsula and along this roadway are regular tragic occurrences.

TRAFFIC is hopeful that interdictions like this will become a deterrent that breaks the trade chain that is robbing Southeast Asia of its wildlife," he said.

In early April, a team of Malaysian wildlife officers in the northern state of Kelantan seized 40 pangolins, weighing a total of 200 kilograms, from a car believed to be heading for China via Thailand.

Huge pangolin seizure in China

Pangolins being decimated by illegal trade

July 2010. Customs officers in Guangdong, China, have seized more than 7.8 tonnes of frozen pangolins and 1,800 kg of pangolin scales from a fishing vessel after it was stopped for inspection.

International trade in Asian pangolin species is banned under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). Two of the four species are classified as Endangered by IUCN.

2090 frozen pangolins
The suspect fishing vessel was sighted by a Guangdong Customs patrol and, when boarded, customs officials found 2090 frozen pangolins each weighing between 1-10 kg as well as 92 cases of pangolin scales.

The crew of 5 Chinese and 1 Malaysian national were arrested; they claimed they had been hired to sail the vessel from Xiangzhou Port, Zhuhai, to South-East Asia to pick up the illicit cargo.

The Malaysian crew member was said to have received instructions by satellite phone on where to rendezvous at sea to pick up the contraband. The smugglers were intercepted before they could transfer the cargo to another vessel off Gaolan Island.

Organized crime
"The use of satellite phones and trans-shipment of cargo at sea are indicative of the increasingly sophisticated methods being used by the organized criminal gangs involved in wildlife crime," said James Compton, TRAFFIC's Asia Pacific co-ordinator.

The Chinese authorities have shared intelligence on the seizures with enforcement agencies operating in the region, including INTERPOL, World Customs Organization (WCO) and ASEAN-Wildlife Enforcement Network and CITES, and are seeking co-operation with Malaysia's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on a joint investigation.

"Guangdong Customs are to be congratulated on this important action against wildlife smugglers operating between South-East Asia and China," said Professor Xu Hongfa, Director of TRAFFIC's China Programme.

26 tonnes of animal parts seized since 2007
A China Customs official quoted by the State news agency, Xinhua, noted that between 2007 and the end of June 2010 a total of 292 cases involving the smuggling of endangered species had been investigated in China. In total, 38,599 animal parts had been seized, weighing a total of 26.63 tonnes plus more than 55 tonnes of 2,753 rare plant varieties.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/pangolin-trade.html

Toothless laws encourage rising demand for pangolin

Singapore - Rising demand for pangolins, mostly from mainland China, compounded by lax laws is wiping out the unique toothless anteaters from their native habitats in Southeast Asia, according to a group of leading pangolin experts.

Illegal trade in Asian pangolin meat and scales has caused the scaly anteaters to disappear from large swathes of Cambodia, Viet Nam and Lao PDR, concluded a panel of experts whose findings were announced today by the wildlife trade monitoring network, TRAFFIC. 

China has a long history of consuming pangolin as meat and in traditional medicine, the report states. Due to continual demand and the decreasing Chinese wild population, in the past few years pangolin smuggling from Southeast Asia has resulted in great declines in these producing countries wild populations, as well.

Although the animals are protected under national legislation in all Asian range states, and have been prohibited from international trade through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 2002, this legislation is having little impact on the illicit trade.

Pangolins are the most frequently encountered mammals seized from illegal traders in Asia, and are highly unusual in not possessing teeth. 

Pangolins, like the laws designed to protect them, lack bite, commented Chris R. Shepherd, Acting Director for TRAFFIC Southeast Asia. Pangolin populations clearly cannot stand the incessant poaching pressure, which can only be stopped by decisive government-backed enforcement action in the region.

According to pangolin hunters and traders, there are so few pangolins left in forests throughout Cambodia, Viet Nam and Lao PDR, they are now sourcing animals from their last remaining strongholds in Southeast Asia and beyond. Recent large seizures back up these reports. They include 24 tonnes of frozen pangolins from Sumatra, Indonesia, seized in Viet Nam, and 14 tonnes of frozen animals seized in Sumatra in 2008. There have also been recent instances of African pangolins seized in Asia. 

Pangolins save us millions of dollars a year in pest destruction, says Dr Simon Stuart, Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission. These shy creatures provide a vital service and we cannot afford to overlook their ecological role as natural controllers of termites and ants.

The key to tackling the pangolin crisis is better enforcement of existing national and international laws designed to protect pangolins, better monitoring of the illegal trade, and basic research to find where viable pangolin populations still exist and whether ravaged populations can recover given adequate protection, according to the report.The experts on pangolins included scientific researchers, government law enforcement officers from most Asian pangolin range States, CITES Management and Scientific Authorities and animal rescue centres, who convened at a workshop hosted by Wildlife Reserves Singapore at the Singapore National Zoo. TRAFFIC's work on pangolins was supported by National Geographic and Sea World Bucsh Gardens.

http://www.panda.org/wwf_news/news/?170062/Toothless-laws-encourage-rising-demand-for-pangolin