wildlife trade news reports, seizures, policy, development, conservation

Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, 1st April 2020—Malaysian Customs in Port Klang have foiled a major smuggling attempt seizing over six tonnes of African pangolin scales—the largest such seizure to date in Malaysia’s busiest port. Enforcement officers from the Central Zone Unit II found the 6,160 kg of scales in a 20-foot-container, hidden underneath a layer of sacks of cashew nuts. The consignment had been declared as cashew nuts—a common false declaration for shipments carrying African ivory and pangolin scales. read full story >

Cambridge, UK, 8th February 2020—media in China are reporting the results of a study by South China Agricultural University, who announced their discovery of a 99% genetic match between the new 2019-nCoV virus currently affecting people, mainly in mainland China although with rising cases elsewhere and a strain of the virus found in pangolins.[1] read full story >

9th August 2019, Mbankomo, Cameroon — TRAFFIC, with the assistance of the Cameroon Pangolin Working Group (CPWG), held a Cameroon national workshop on pangolin protection. The national workshop was kindly chaired by Joseph Lekealem, Director in charge of Wildlife and Protected Areas (DFAP) from the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF). read full story >

Singapore, 23rd July 2019—Singapore today announced a record seizure of pangolin scales and ivory tusks made last weekend after authorities there uncovered three containers filled with 11.9 tonnes of pangolin scales and 8.8 tonnes of elephant ivory that were shipped from the DRC and headed for Viet Nam.  read full story >

Cambridge, UK, 22nd April, Earth Day 2019—this year’s Earth Day theme is Protect our species, a topic that should concern every one of us as the world lurches towards its sixth mass extinction event, with the effects of biodiversity loss plain to see.  read full story >

Cambridge, UK, 16th February 2019, World Pangolin Day—Until recently, pangolins or “scaly anteaters” were an obscure mammal few people had ever heard of. But now, seven years after the inaugural World Pangolin Day in 2012, they’ve been catapulted into the public eye—although for the wrong reasons. Hundreds of thousands of pangolins have been poached and all eight species are threatened with extinction in the wild, giving the animals the unenviable reputation of the world’s most trafficked mammal. read full story >

New Delhi, 15th February 2018—On the eve of #WorldPangolinDay 2019, TRAFFIC, in collaboration with WWF-India, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, and the National Zoological Park (NZP), New Delhi is urging the public in India to help decide the future of pangolins by “choosing their side” through the message “Pangolin in Wild or Pangolins in Illegal wildlife trade”. read full story >

Sabah, Malaysia, 11th February 2019 – Alarming news continues to pour in for pangolins, the scaly mammal beleaguered by illegal trade, ahead of World Pangolin Day this Saturday, February 16th. read full story >

Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, 6th December 2018–Close to three tonnes of pangolin scales went up in flames today as authorities incinerated several illegal shipments seized in 2017—a record year for pangolin scale seizures in Malaysia. read full story >

Hanoi, Viet Nam, 14th Dec 2018—A new study provides insights on consumption patterns for rhino, elephant, and pangolin products Viet Nam. The research, funded by USAID, will guide the design and implementation of demand reduction interventions to Vietnamese consumers.  read full story >

Sabah, Malaysia, 28th September 2018—A local businessman faces up to MYR2 billion (USD242 million) in penalties if convicted of charges stemming from Malaysia’s largest seizure of pangolin scales. read full story >

Hanoi, Viet Nam, 10th July 2018—A study released today by TRAFFIC suggests that most of Viet Nam’s online illegal wildlife trade does not take place on websites ending in .vn, as previously thought and instead monitoring efforts should focus on those ending .com, including social media websites.  read full story >