PROJECT PANGOLIN

A university student was recently arrested in Uganda, after he was found in possession of pangolin scales and illegal ivory from elephants and hippos.

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Holy hibernating pangolin, batman!

Living in colder, higher elevations than most pangolins, the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) appears to be the only pangolin species that “hibernates” (although not considered a true hibernation, it’s actually more of an “overwintering”)!

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Since last Saturday, authorities have seized what’s likely to be hundreds of pangolins in Vietnam and Malaysia.

One week ago, wildlife officers in Malaysia nabbed a known poacher found carrying 18 pangolins in his vehicle and only days later, Vietnam police seized five tonnes of frozen pangolins and iguanas in a suspicious bust.

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Check out Episode 3 of our web series and podcast, Behind the Schemes.

Pangolins in Zimbabwe used to be spared from over-hunting, thanks to an unusual cultural practice by the indigenous Shona people, who hold the pangolin in high regard.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. (more…)

2011 deals yet another massive blow to the world’s pangolins, with possibly 40,000 – 60,000 slaughtered last year alone.

The year 2011 saw a minimum of 44 media-reported pangolin seizures across at least ten different East and Southeast Asian nations, France, and numerous African countries.

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A review of the status of Cambodia’s endangered Sunda pangolins.

The endangered Sunda pangolin is the only species of scaly anteater found in Cambodia, but alarming declines in their numbers have conservationists, scientists, and wildlife managers questioning just how much longer this nation will have any to call her own.

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