Malaysian authorities make record 30-tonne pangolin confiscation

MALAYSIAN authorities have made a record seizure of about 30 tonnes of pangolins and their scales worth some $2 million in raids on major processing facilities, police and environmentalists said on Tuesday.

The haul included about 1,800 boxes full of frozen pangolins stuffed inside three refrigerated containers, 572 more frozen pangolins in six freezers, 61 live pangolins in cages and 361 kilograms (795 pounds) of pangolin scales, according to police.

The Southeast Asian nation is bat t l i ng to cla mp dow n on ra mpant poach i ng a nd smuggling of pangolins, t he world’s most heav i ly t r a fficked mammal.

The critically endangered creatures, also known as scaly anteaters, have long been targeted as their body parts are highly valued in traditional medicine in countries including China and Vietnam ,while their meat is considered a delicacy.

Following a tip-off, wildlife officials in Sabah state raided a factory and a warehouse on Thursday, according to a statement from local police chief Omar Mammah.

Police arrested a 35-year-old man suspected to have been in charge of the factory as part of an illegal syndicate.

The operation is believed to have been running for the past seven years, and police believe the pangolins were bought from poachers to be distributed locally.

Tra f f ic, a Malaysia-based group t hat monitors wildlife smuggling around the region, said it was t he “biggest such bust Ma lay sia ha s seen to date”.

“No threatened species can wit hsta nd i ndust r ia l levels of ex t ract ion such as t h is,” sa id Ka nit ha K r ish nasa my, t he g roup’s Sout heast Asia director.

The seizures also shone a light on Sabah’s major role in animal trafficking – the state on Borneo island has been implicated in smuggling cases involving over 40 tonnes of pangolins since August 2017, according to Traffic.

Malaysia re gularl y f oi l s attempts to smuggle pangolins and their parts out of the country but usually on a far smaller scale.

On February 1, Hong Kong customs officials made a record seizure of eight tonnes of pangolin scales and more than 1,000 elephant tusks.