Undercover reporters in Vietnam enter the secret world of pangolin smuggling and meet the “godmothers” of this gruesome trade.

“Tons of pangolins are transported from the border between Laos and Vietnam through Cau Treo Border Gate. All owners of the pangolin shipments are women, and these so-called “godmothers” run perfect systems that men could not.”

Investigative reporters in Vietnam entered the dark world of pangolin trafficking, from Cau Treo Border Gate (Ha Tinh Province, central Vietnam) to Hanoi.

Following the introduction of Thanh X, we found a smaller trader who often buys from Thanh X to on-sell in Hanoi: Lan S, from Son Tay Commune, about 1km away from the town. Lan S said that the pangolin was quite expensive recently and had become rarer than it was a few years ago. Every shipment could now be sold immediately, so there was no pangolin available in the house. Lan S also showed us wine soaked with 20 baby pangolins. She said: “In the past, there were so many pangolins that we had to keep them in the cage for days before transporting them to Hanoi. Some pangolins gave birth, so I took the babies to soak in wine for my husband and VIP guests.”

Read the entire shocking story on the Education for Nature-Vietnam website.

Pangolin is the new game by Feedtank: It’s fun to play and is helping to raise awareness about pangolins, too! Image by Feedtank.

When the developers at Feedtank — a small interactive studio specializing in the creation of playful interactive experiences — were looking for a character to star in their new game, they made a surprising discovery: The pangolin.

Co-Founder of Feedtank, Jonah Warren, explained that he and his team were so moved by the plight of the pangolin, they decided to help raise awareness for pangolins through the new game. We’re excited to announce that Feedtank will be including a link to Project Pangolin from the app’s info page — a unique opportunity to introduce pangolins to a wider audience!

Here’s more about Pangolin (the game):

Project Pangolin: What is “Pangolin”?

Jonah Warren: Pangolin is a physics-based arcade game for the iPhone that turns the classic platformer on its head. Instead of controlling the character, you control the platforms. Your objective on each level is to bounce a small pangolin to a target using a few well-placed trampolines, avoiding spikes and collecting coins and gems along the way.

Bounce a small pangolin to a target using a few well-placed trampolines, avoiding spikes and collecting coins and gems along the way

PP: How did you discover the pangolin for your game?

JW: The idea of the game initially started with an interaction. The idea was to allow the user to bounce a ball around using trampolines, which could be created by tapping the screen with two fingers at the same time. After testing it and being excited by its potential, we started researching animals that roll into a ball … by literally googling “animals that curl into a ball.” After discovering the pangolin, we quickly fell in love with the strange, quirky creature and decided to base the entire game around it. We also decided to embrace its Asian roots, allowing the region’s music, typography and decorative arts to influence the game’s aesthetic.

PP: What inspired you to help raise awareness through Pangolin?

JW: After discovering the pangolin, it became hard not to want to learn more about this odd, fascinating creature. It seemed like the more we learned, the more interesting it got. I remember spending an entire Saturday watching pangolin videos on YouTube, entranced by shots of its unbelievably long tongue and its funny half-upright gait. We were also saddened to learn about how often it was poached for its meat and scales. This motivated us to reach out to organizations such as Project Pangolin and Save Pangolins to see how we could help and / or work together.

PP: Are there any other wildlife-themed projects in the works at your studio?

JW: We currently don’t have anything specific planned, as we’re trying to focus on Pangolin at the moment. However, we do have lots of game ideas that we’d like to make, so who knows.

PP: How do people purchase/download Pangolin?

JW: If you have an iPhone, you can just type in “pangolin” into the App Store. It should be the first search result you see. The game itself and the first 10 levels are free to download. There is an in-app purchase for $0.99 for an additional 40 levels that introduce a number of new items, like moving platforms, spikes that can roll and fall, and portals that transport you from place to place.

Addicted!

I’ve downloaded Pangolin on my iPhone and I’m addicted! After navigating my pangolin through “Education” (the first ten levels), the $0.99 purchase for “Exploration” (the additional 40 levels) was irresistible. Look out for those spikes!

Download Pangolin from the iTunes Store.

Author: Rhishja Cota-Larson

Four Chinese nationals were arrested in Indonesia while attempting to smuggle 189 pangolin skins and 248 hornbill casques to Hong Kong. Photo: iStockphoto.com

Customs officers at Jakarta International Airport nabbed four suspects who were attempting to smuggle 189 pangolin skins and 248 hornbill casques out of the country.

Four Chinese nationals identified as Li Bing, Wu Qiyi, Zhijian Li and Yin Zhaoyun were arrested, thanks to a tip-off. A search revealed that the skins and casques were hidden in their luggage. Indopos.com reports they were about to board China Airlines flight CI-678 to Hong Kong. The incident occurred during the first week of January 2013.

Story via Annamiticus (http://s.tt/1yqK4)

Join us in celebrating the second annual World Pangolin Day!

The second annual World Pangolin Day will be celebrated on February 16^th, 2013.

World Pangolin Day is a great opportunity for NGOs, zoos, and pangolin supporters everywhere to raise awareness and funds for pangolins. Let us know what you’re doing for World Pangolin Day so we can help you get the word out.

Connect and get ideas and updates about World Pangolin Day at facebook.com/WorldPangolinDay!