Huge Pangolin haul shows crackdown is working

WEBWIRE – Tuesday, August 05, 2008 Indonesian officers last week raided the warehouse of a suspected illegal wildlife trader in Palembang, South Sumatra and have uncovered 14 tonnes of Malay Pangolins Manis javanica, leading to the arrests of 14 people. The raid, which is the largest ever seizure of Pangolins in Indonesia, is being linked to two operations earlier this year by Vietnamese customs authorities that uncovered more than 23 tonnes of Pangolins. Pangolins are reminiscent of armadillos with razor-sharp scales for protection, and are found in tropical regions of Africa and Asia, but demand for their scales and skin in traditional Chinese medicines, as well as their meat for eating, is placing heavy pressure on their dwindling populations. In 2000, signatories to CITES (The Convention on International Trade in... [read full story]