Malaysian authorities have seized a record 30 tonnes of pangolins and pangolin products in eastern Sabah state, Borneo, the biggest such bust in the country, a wildlife monitoring group said on Feb. 12.
The monitoring network Traffic said in a statement that Sabah police this month uncovered two major pangolin processing facilities, throwing a spotlight on Sabah’s role in the sourcing and trafficking of the endangered scaly mammal.
Sabah police said that they had seized three refrigerated containers containing 1,800 boxes filled with frozen pangolins, another 572 frozen pangolins in separate freezers, 61 live pangolins and 361 kilograms of pangolin scales. Two bear paws and carcasses of four flying fox were also recovered.
Photo: AP
照片：美聯社
The anteater-like pangolin is said to be the most widely trafficked mammal in the world, and its scales are in high demand in Asia for use in traditional Chinese medicine. The scales are made of keratin, the same material in human fingernails, and are often roasted and ground to a powder before being added into a mix of ingredients to purportedly cure arthritis, promote breast feeding for mothers and boost male virility. Their meat is also considered a delicacy in China and other Asian countries. Scientists have designated all species of pangolins as being at risk of extinction. In the last two decades, the number of pangolins worldwide has dropped by about 90 percent.
Sabah police chief Omar Mammah said in the statement that initial investigations showed the facility has operated for seven years and that the suspect had bought the pangolins from local illegal hunters for distribution locally and to the neighboring state of Sarawak. He estimated the haul to be worth at least 8.4 million ringgit (US$2 million).
Traffic said the whole pangolin bodies found frozen and boxed were likely to have been sold for meat consumption. It said the seizures came a decade after Sabah authorities discovered logbooks in 2009 kept by another pangolin trafficking ring. It said the logbooks revealed that about 22,200 pangolins were killed and 834.4 kilograms of pangolin scales sourced throughout the state and supplied to the syndicate over 13 months.
Photo courtesy of Taipei Zoo
照片：台北市立動物園提供
(AP)
野生動物監督組織本月十二日表示，馬來西亞當局在婆羅洲的沙巴州東部查獲三十噸的穿山甲和穿山甲製品，數量之多創下紀錄，是馬國最大宗案件。
監督組織「國際野生物貿易研究組織」（Traffic）在一份聲明中說，沙巴警方本月破獲兩個大型穿山甲加工廠，突顯了沙巴對這瀕臨絕種的有鱗哺乳動物，在集貨及非法販運上所扮演的角色。
Photo: AP
照片：美聯社
沙巴警方表示，他們查獲了三個冷藏貨櫃，裡面有一千八百箱冷凍穿山甲、裝有五百七十二隻冷凍穿山甲的冷凍庫，另外還有六十一隻活體穿山甲，以及三百六十一公斤的穿山甲鱗片。此外，還發現了兩隻熊掌和四隻狐蝠的屠體。
穿山甲的外型很像食蟻獸，據信為全球非法販運量最多的哺乳動物。穿山甲鱗片在亞洲的需求量很大，因它被用來做中藥。穿山甲鱗片是由角蛋白所形成，與人類指甲的成份相同，經烘烤、磨成粉後與其他材料混合，號稱可治關節炎、促進母乳分泌、壯陽。穿山甲的肉在中國和其他亞洲國家也被視為佳餚。科學家指出，所有穿山甲的品種都面臨了滅絕的危機。過去的二十年中，穿山甲全球的數量已銳減約百分之九十。
沙巴州警察局長歐瑪‧馬馬賀在聲明中指出，初步調查顯示該工廠已營運了七年，嫌犯向當地盜獵者購得穿山甲，然後賣給當地人，以及給鄰近的砂勞越州。他估計該批贓物至少價值八百四十萬令吉（兩百萬美元）。
國際野生物貿易研究組織表示，這些冷凍裝箱的穿山甲屠體，可能是賣做食用肉品。該組織說，二○○九年沙巴當局查獲另一個穿山甲走私集團的日誌；據日誌記載，在十三個月內，約有兩萬兩千兩百隻穿山甲被宰殺，該集團並從全州蒐購了八百三十四點四公斤的穿山甲鱗片。
(台北時報林俐凱編譯)
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