They are cute , they are bizarre , and they are themost lawlessly trafficked animalon the planet . However , there ’s a probability you ’ve never even hear of them .
They ’re calledpangolins , a mob of scaly anteaters that can be found across Africa and Asia that look like a mash - up of an armadillo and an globe artichoke .
Just last week , a criminal record - breaking haulage of African anteater parts - a whopping 29.8 MT - were take over by authorisation in Sabah State Department on the island of Borneo , Malaysia . This makes it the biggest bust ever recorded in Malaysia , a cardinal node in theillegal pangolin deal web .
According to the wildlife trade monitor networkTRAFFIC , the haul include about 1,800 box seat full of flash-frozen African pangolins stuffed inside three refrigerated containers , 572 more frozen whole pangolin in six deep-freeze , 61 live pangolins in batting cage , and 361 kilograms of anteater scales . They also discovered two bear paws and carcass of four fly foxes on the premises .
The bust was made on February 7 , after sureness received a gratuity - off and raided a factory in the metropolis of Sabah and a warehouse in Tamparuli , some 35 kilometers ( 22 miles ) away . At least one person , a 35 - year - old local human beings who operate at the factory , was arrested
“ detect large mass of pangolin smuggling is no easy feat and Sabah authority are congratulated for act on and taking down this smuggling operation , ” Kanitha Krishnasamy , Director of TRAFFIC in Southeast Asia , state in astatement .
The whole haulage has anestimatedstreet note value of up to $ 2 million . Much of this note value comes from their high demand in Asia where their dried scale leaf are used intraditional medicines . Keep in mind , the scales have no medicinal time value at all , they ’re made of keratin – the same stuff your toenails are composed of . Pangolin meat is also eaten as a luxury ravisher in many unlike East Asian cultures .
It is estimated that more than1 million pangolinshave been poach from the wild in the preceding decade alone . As you could no doubt guess , this is frightening for the wellness of this truly over-the-top family of animals . We are literally eating these animals into extinction . In 2014 , all eightpangolin species – four aboriginal to Africa , four native to Asia – were listed asthreatened with extinction .
But there is Bob Hope on the horizon . pangolin have keep an strangely low - profile outside of East Asia and Africa , but an increase amount of worldwide attention is being cast onto the issue . It isWorld Pangolin Dayon February 16 this year , a Clarence Shepard Day Jr. give to raising awareness of these fascinating creatures and the plight they suffer at the handwriting of mankind .
