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.
16
Jan
2012
13
Jan
2012
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
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
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
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
Thanks to ridiculous myths about pangolin scales and flesh, the illicit trade is thriving.
Two seizures at Puerto Princesa city airport in southwestern Palawan province this week have reportedly netted 95 kilograms of pangolin scales and 26.5 kilograms of pangolin flesh.
03
Jan
2012
2011 deals yet another massive blow to the world’s pangolins, with possibly 40,000 – 60,000 slaughtered last year alone.
Updated with new information on 6 August, 2012.
The year 2011 saw a minimum of 58 pangolin seizures reported by media and wildlife trade-monitoring networks, TRAFFIC and Southeast Asian Nations Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN).
The incidents spanned across more than fourteen different countries in East and Southeast Asia, France, and numerous African nations.
12
Dec
2011
After two wild, high speed chases, authorities have seized a total of 1,174 pangolins – most of them dead – in Vietnam and Sabah, Malaysia since Wednesday.
A wild goose chase on the high seas off Sabah, Malaysia and a high speed car chase in Vietnam over the past week have yielded over 1,000 pangolins destined to be consumed as a delicacy or crushed into ‘medicine’.
09
Dec
2011
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.
30
Nov
2011
‘Pangolin Power’ features organizations that are helping pangolins.
TRAFFIC Southeast Asia is one of the world’s most important voices for pangolins. Based in Kuala Lumpur, this regional office of TRAFFIC monitors wildlife trade in Cambodia, Brunei, Timor Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.