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Rhino Protection Units apprehended pangolin trafficking suspects in a village near Bukit Barasan Selatan National Park. Photo courtesy of International Rhino Foundation.

Thanks to the efforts of Rhino Protection Units (RPUs) in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, members of a known pangolin trafficking syndicate have been apprehended.

In August 2012, RPUs and park rangers acting on an informant tip-off nabbed an armed suspect in a village just outside Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park. The suspect was carrying 14 dead pangolins, 5 kg of pangolin flesh, and 1.5 kg of pangolin skins in his vehicle. He was also in possession of heroin and an automatic weapon. A first-hand description of the risky mission from Uga Yogaswara, a member of the RPUs that patrol Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, is published on Annamiticus.