January 2012 - PANGOLINS

19 Jan 2012

‘Junk Shop’ Fronts Illegal Pangolin Trade Operation; Arrests Made, Scales Seized 0

2012/01/19 Sarah Pappin Asian pangolins, Illegal wildlife trade, Nepal, Pangolin seizures, Pangolins, Philippines, Southeast Asia, Traditional Chinese Medicine

Sadly, it seems the number seven wasn’t so lucky for pangolins this week, as seven kilograms of their scales were seized in Nepal, another seven kg of scales were seized in the Philippines, and a business called ‘Lucky 7’ was found fronting for an illegal pangolin trade operation.

Nepalese police arrested two men found smuggling seven kilograms of pangolin scales in Nepal only days after Palawan officials apprehended three Chinese nationals running an illicit pangolin trade operation out of their ‘junk shop’ front business.

18 Jan 2012

World Pangolin Day 2012 is February 18! #worldpangolinday 0

2012/01/18 Rhishja Cota African pangolins, Pangolins

Join us as we celebrate the eight species of pangolin!

PLEASE NOTE: World Pangolin Day 2013 is February 16!

Did you know that World Pangolin Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in February? We did some poking around on the interweb to see if pangolins have a special day — and they do!

This year, the special day falls on February 18^th.

17 Jan 2012

Cute Baby Pangolin Bottle Feeding [Video] 0

2012/01/17 Rhishja Cota Asian pangolins, Illegal wildlife trade, Pangolins, Southeast Asia, Vietnam

Enjoy!

This adorable baby pangolin was rescued by the team at Carnivore and Pangolin Conservation Program in Vietnam.

17 Jan 2012

Thailand: 180 Pangolins Seized, Driver Arrested 0

2012/01/17 Sarah Pappin Asian pangolins, Illegal wildlife trade, Pangolin seizures, Pangolins, Southeast Asia, Thailand, Traditional Chinese Medicine

Soaring illicit pangolin trade noted by yet another seizure of these wild-caught endangered animals — this time 180 of them in Thailand.

A 32 year-old man has been arrested by Thai Customs officials, after he was found driving a vehicle loaded with 180 pangolins — at least the fourth such bust of 2012 globally.

16 Jan 2012

‘Medicinal Use’ Pangolin Farms in China? [Photos & Video] 0

2012/01/16 Rhishja Cota African pangolins, Asian pangolins, China, Illegal wildlife trade, Pangolins, Traditional Chinese Medicine

Are pangolins being farmed for China’s traditional medicine industry?

We’ve uncovered disturbing information which strongly suggests that “medicinal use” pangolin farms are already operating in China.

13 Jan 2012

Pangolin Ads Removed from Chinese eCommerce Website 0

2012/01/13 Rhishja Cota Asian pangolins, China, Illegal wildlife trade, Pangolins, Traditional Chinese Medicine

An update to our previous article about pangolin scales and flesh for sale online.

Good news: As a result of our recent story about pangolin products being sold on China’s top eCommerce website, Alibaba, we were contacted by a representative of the company who informed us that the pangolin pages have now been removed from the site.

11 Jan 2012

Chinese National Suspected of Killing Hundreds of Pangolins Arrested in Philippines 0

2012/01/11 Rhishja Cota Asian pangolins, China, Illegal wildlife trade, Pangolin seizures, Pangolins, Philippines, Southeast Asia, Traditional Chinese Medicine

An update to last week’s pangolin seizures.

A Chinese national identified as Yefan Huang has been arrested by authorities in Palawan, Philippines. Huang is believed to be responsible for slaughtering hundreds of pangolins (scaly anteaters) in order to profit from the thriving illegal trade in this species.

10 Jan 2012

Pangolin and Other Endangered Species Products Openly for Sale on Major eCommerce Website 0

2012/01/10 Sarah Pappin African pangolins, Asian pangolins, China, Illegal wildlife trade, Pangolins, Southeast Asia, Traditional Chinese Medicine

01/13/2012: Check out the update on this story here.

Despite pledges to clamp down on unethical trade in wildlife products, pangolin flesh and scales are offered for sale on a well-known website.

As of this writing, the above could be found here: http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/499471942/Pangolin_Scales.html

A search for the term “pangolin” on a major eCommerce website yields some shocking and appalling results: The endangered animals’ flesh and scales are openly listed for sale.

And if that’s not shocking enough, who owns the website may be even more disturbing. Read more

06 Jan 2012

Pangolin Smuggler Sentenced to Three Years in Jail 0

2012/01/06 Rhishja Cota Asian pangolins, Illegal wildlife trade, Malaysia, Pangolin seizures, Pangolins, Philippines, Southeast Asia, Traditional Chinese Medicine

A prison term for a pangolin smuggler.

A Filipino man identified as Aivon Vencer has been sentenced to three years in prison for attempting to smuggle 1,068 frozen pangolins, weighing 4,988 kilograms.

04 Jan 2012

Kenya: Pangolin Rescued, Suspect Arrested [Video] 0

2012/01/04 Rhishja Cota African pangolins, Illegal wildlife trade, Pangolin seizures, Pangolins, Traditional Chinese Medicine

One pangolin has been saved from certain death.

Thanks to the efforts of the Kenya Wildlife Service, a pangolin has been rescued, and one suspect is under arrest.

Posts for : January 2012