Pangolins Again

Pangolins are on the news again.
Since blogging here, there were countless smuggling of wildlife in Malaysia. Search "Pangolin" in this blog and you should be able to read some of on pangolins.
Pangolin is still a common news. Why is it happening again? If there is no informer, there usually won't be any news. Poor laws, corrupt officers and sheer "buat tak tahu" are the reasons why these news will be cropping up again and again. Don't be surprised if the pangolins were found, they could be released in an island with little termites or perhaps even released in an isolated fragmented area. They don't even bother to understand how pangolins survive. Or perhaps they are sold off again for the cooking pots. It was reported to be RM130 then. Then again at RM150. Today it is RM250. I am sure many more smugglings are going to happen with the increase in price. Who cares except people like you and me! But we are the minorities.

Don't you think it is time to change the government?

Some selected pangolins news below....
Cops Seize Pangolins

Pangolin Smuggling on the rise
Man fined RM4000
98 Pangolins Seized


Saturday February 20, 2010
Star
35 pangolins rescued by cops

MALACCA: A week-long surveillance by authorities off the coastal waters of Ujong Pasir for possible illegal wildlife trade paid off when marine police rescued 35 pangolins destined for cooking pots.

The live anteaters, estimated to be worth about RM30,000, were believed to have been caught by poachers in Sumatra and were about to be smuggled into the country for sale to restaurants in Malacca and the Klang Valley.

State Marine Police commanding officer ASP Rizal Ramli said they received a tip-off last week of possible smuggling activities being conducted at the Parit Cina jetty in Ujong Pasir.

“We spotted a blue sampan with two men making their way up Parit Cina at about noon on Friday,” he told reporters when met at the Marine Police jetty in Banda Hilir yesterday.

“However both of them jumped off the boat and swam to shore before escaping on foot into a housing area nearby.”

He said the men are believed to be locals as their boat bore the registration number of boats belonging to fishermen from Malacca.

He added that those behind the illegal trade had tried to dupe authorities by carrying out their activities during Friday prayers to avoid detection.

He said that a kilo of pangolin meat could fetch up to RM250 on the black market.

He said the pangolins would be handed over to wildlife authorities here and the marine police are assisting in investigations.

Cops seize 62 pangolins after fortnight stakeout

December 17, 2009
By HAMDAN RAJA ABDULLAH
Star

MUAR: After keeping watch on the activities of a group for two weeks, marine police here swooped in on them and seized 62 pangolins valued at over RM100,000.

Some 31 live pangolins were found in two cars near a house in Taman Tasik Ria in Tangkak and in the living room of a house while another 31 frozen pangolins were found in a freezer in the kitchen.

Muar marine police officer Insp Mohd Naser Marzuke said the team also seized the two cars used to transport the animals in the 9pm raid on Tuesday.

“Our team was monitoring the movements of suspects believed to be involved with pangolin smuggling and spotted their cars in Tangkak.

“However, when the team followed the cars to a house, the men abandoned the cars and fled,” he told reporters at the Muar marine police jetty yesterday.

Insp Mohd Naser said there were three men in each car but they managed to run to the back of the house and disappeared into the dark.

The team then checked the house and found 13 sacks with live pangolins in the living room and 31 frozen ones in a freezer.

All the pangolins were taken to the Muar marine police jetty before being surrendered to the Wildlife Department.

Meanwhile, Muar Wildlife and National Parks Department chief Mohd Faizal Moin said pangolins were protected animals and smugglers could be charged under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

Pangolin smuggling on the rise

NST Online
2008/09/20
By : Nisha Sabanayagam

KUALA LUMPUR: The shy pangolin deters its enemies by spraying them with urine but this strategy is next to useless when it comes to saving themselves from being caught and shipped to China.

Malaysia and Indonesia are hotspots in the illegal wildlife trade in pangolin, with China as the end market.

According to conservation group Traffic Southeast Asia, pangolins make up the largest number of mammals found in confiscated illegal wildlife cargoes in the region.

The pangolin species that is traded the most is believed to be the Malayan Pangolin (Manis javanica). It is sourced from Malaysia and Indonesia, as their populations elsewhere, including in Thailand, Myanmar and China, have been decimated.

Earlier this month, 16 pangolins were seized from smugglers in Muar, Johor. In April, the Wildlife and National Parks Department seized 98 pangolins worth RM50,000 in Penang.

Traffic Southeast Asia director Azrina Abdullah said pangolins were traded for their meat which was considered a delicacy.

"Their scales are used in Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean traditional medicine.

"The scales are said to help with menstruation, breast milk circulation and sexual performance."

The scales which are made of keratin (a major component in hair, fingernails and horns) are also used to treat allergies, skin conditions and sexually transmitted diseases.

Azrina said the demand for pangolin meat and scales increased dramatically in China in the 1990s, as more people were able to afford them.

In 2002, it was estimated that there were between 50,000 and 100,000 pangolins left in the wild in China, while the domestic demand for meat and scales was estimated to be up to the equivalent of 200,000 specimens annually.

According to Traffic's surveys, in 1997 a live pangolin cost between US$120 (RM408) and US$220 per kg in China.

In Malaysia, it cost between US$25 and US$45 per kg.

Between 1998 and 2007, the Malaysian media reported 34 cases of pangolin smuggling and the confiscation of 6,000 specimens.

During the same period, it was estimated that more than 30,000 specimens were seized in Southeast Asia and East Asia, again based on cases reported in the press.

"It should be noted that not all seizures are reported in the press and seizures only represent a very small number of the specimens which were actually traded," said Azrina.

She said although there was no population estimate for the Malayan Pangolin, the number of pangolins that were seized was quite impressive and a cause for concern considering the slow reproduction rate for the species.

Females generally give birth to only one young at a time and are likely to give birth only once a year.

All pangolin species (genus Manis) are on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

CITES has established a zero annual export quota for the Malayan Pangolin, as well as the Indian, Chinese and Palawan Pangolin and for specimens removed from the wild and traded for primarily commercial purposes.

The pangolin is a nocturnal insectivore and uses its long, sticky tongue to catch ants, termites and other insects.

There are seven species of pangolins that live in grasslands and forests in Africa and Southeast Asia.

The region's pangolins, snakes and freshwater turtles are now the most intensely sought-after species, having eclipsed the trade in tiger bone, rhino horn and bear gall bladder due to the decimation of the latter species and tougher policing.

Man fined RM4,000 for possessing, hurting pangolins

The price of one kilogram of pangolin is RM150 in Malaysia and across the border in Thailand is RM280. An adult pangolin is at least 3 kg. In the international market, it can fetch until RM800 per kilogram.
Lets calculate the value of 31 pangolins.

31 pangolins in Malaysia = 31 X 3 kg X RM150 = RM13,950 (Value in Malaysia)
31 pangolins after crossing to Thailand = 31 X 3 kg X RM280 = RM26,040 (Value in Thailand)

However,
Fine for illegally possessing 31 pangolins = RM4,000 (Read news below)
Fine for hurting the pangolins = RM2,500
TOTAL ONLY = RM4000 + RM2500 = RM6500

No wonder, there are still people willing to smuggle these rare pangolins.
Our country, Bolehland is going down the drain....

A quote from Mahatma Gandhi best described my country....
The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.

Do you think our nation can be great if animals are treated like shit?

Read the news here:


Monday July 21, 2008 MYT 4:30:09 PM
Staronline
By EMBUN MAJID


JITRA: An odd-job worker was fined a total of RM4,000 by a magistrate's court here for illegally possessing 31 pangolins and hurting the protected animals.

Mohd Fauzi Usuf, 30, from Changloon, near here, was fined RM1,500 for possessing the pangolins under Section 64(2)(a) of the Wildlife Protection Act (Amendment) 1988.

He was fined another RM2,500 for hurting the animals by confining them under Section 92(1)(c) of the same Act.

Mohd Fauzi, who pleaded guilty to committing the offences at the Bukit Kayu Hitam Anti Smuggling Unit (UPP) office, at about 11.35am on July 14, paid the fines.

Section 64(2)(a) carries a maximum fine of RM3,000 or two years' jail or both while Section 92(1)(c) carries a maximum fine of RM5,000 or three years' jail or both.

According to the facts of the case, the UPP found the 31 pangolins in 31 plastic bags inside a Proton Wira driven by Mohd Fauzi who was arrested at the Bukit Kayu Hitam UPP office.

National Forest and Wildlife Protection Department's prosecuting officer Shaharuddin Osman pressed for the maximum sentence, saying that the pangolin was nearly extinct.

He said that although it was Mohd Fauzi's first offence, a heavy penalty should be imposed as a deterrent to others.

Magistrate Zhalizan Sanusi said the court decided to fine Mohd Fauzi for both offences since he was a first offender.

He warned Mohd Fauzi that the court would jail him next time if he repeated the offence.

98 pangolins seized in raid

I hope this time they do not release the pangolins on an island. Several years ago, there was a case when a few hundred of pangolins were released onto Pulau Singa in Langkawi. Ants and termites colonies were limited and eventually many pangolins died. Beside, rare termites were destroyed too.

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Staronline
Monday April 14, 2008
By ANDREA FILMER

PENANG: Ninety-eight pangolins were seized from a storehouse in Kampung Kubang Menerung, Kepala Batas early Monday.

State Operation Enforcement Unit Leader Khairul Nizam Yahaya said three people were arrested in the raid which followed two weeks of surveillance by State Wildlife and National Parks Department officers.

"All 98 pangolins have been found alive and appear to be in good condition and we believe they were meant to be smuggled out of the country," Khairul Nizam said.

He added that the department was unsure of which country the pangolins were destined for but estimated their value to be around RM50,000.

"Pangolins are quite popular as exotic food in outside countries and their scales are said to have medicinal values.

"If caught, pangolins can be sold to local suppliers for about RM130 a kilo," Khairul Nizam said, adding that suppliers could then fetch a much higher price selling the animals overseas.
Seven officers participated in the raid that occurred around 3am.

Khairul Nizam said the windscreen of the department's four-wheel drive was smashed after a man believed to be part of the smuggling syndicate, threw a large stone at the vehicle as it was exiting the village after the raid.

No one was injured in the attack and a police report had been lodged at the Bukit Mertajam police station.

The three men arrested have been released on bail.

Pangolins are a protected species under the Wild Life Act and possession of the animal carries a fine of not more than RM5,000 and/ or jail time of not more than three years.

All pangolins seized will be released into protected enclosures such as conservations centres, zoos and other suitable habitats, Khairul Nizam said.

Is Your Neighbour Missing?

Have you seen a pangolin in your backyard some weeks ago? Your dog could be barking at it in the middle of the night. And you would have been happy to see one....but you were angry because you loose your sleep. And today your friendly neighbour is no where to be seen? Well, your pet dog will have to spend more lonely nights.

Probably, your neighbourly pangolin could be on that "Noah's Ark" heading for China.

This story really frightened me:

'Noah's Ark' of 5,000 rare animals found floating off the coast of China

at http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,2088589,00.html

I am a Chinese. Believe me, Chineses eat everything that moves!

But not me! Oh, forgot to tell you, I am not from China.

If you find that the common animals like lizards, turtles, tortoises, snakes, bears, pangolins and others missing from your compound, your estates, the forests, then chances that they could be caught and smugglered out of Bolehland!

In Bolehland, rules can be bent. Eyes can "tutup satu mata" (close one eye). "Bocor" (Leakage) can be fixed with taxpayers money. And the story continues...

Coastguard : Ok, pangolins, cicakman (lizard man), ninja turtles and you look funny(some kind of civet cat which the coastguard haven't seen)...give me your passports!!

Pangolin : Sorry, official....I..I...don't have passport.

Coastguard : What? No, passport, no entry. Go home!

Pangolin : But I was forced to come, mah! I live happily in one of the kampung (village) and I played with my neighbour dog. I missed the dog now. Can I go home?

Coastguard : No way. Who dare to own you? You look so ugly with all the scales. I guess you taste good too. Aprodisiac huh? Yum..yum.... Ok tell me how you come here!

Pangolin : I was caught one night by a man who spoke some kind of foreign language. Then I was taken to a "towkay" (business man). Then this towkay put me in a case with others like me.

Coastguard : What do you mean "others like you"?

Pangolin : Others animals loh....like that cicakman, that turtle ninja and my brother from that Kampung Babi Hutan.

Coastguard : Don't you have stringent custom regulation in your country to check on your passport?

Pangolin : Got, got, many, but just for show only lah. Remember, we are Bolehland. "Boleh" meant "Can"....so everything also "can".

Coastguard : Don't play-play with me! What do you meant "everything also can"?

Pangolin : You see, without passport I can also come here...so don't you think I slipped out of my country with somebody "tutup satu mata"?

Coastguard : Oh, I see....good, then I can "makan" (eat) you tonight. Nobody can claim you are from Bolehland as you don't have passport. Hee, hee, hee....!

Conclusion:

The coastguard had a good meal. You lost a friendly neighbour. Your neighbourhood is quieter now. You can sleep well. Some towkays were richer by a few hundred dollars. Your grand children will only able to see pangolins in books.

Is that what you want?