Chinese Cops Bust Smugglers W. 8 Tons Of Endangered Pangolins On Board - Guardian

[hatrack]

Oh, by the way, FUCK CHINESE TRADITIONAL MEDICINE.



Chinese authorities have intercepted one of the biggest ever hauls of illegally smuggled pangolins, which were almost certainly destined for the dinner table. Customs officials in Guangdong boarded a suspect fishing vessel and seized 2,090 frozen pangolin and 92 cases of the endangered anteater's scales on 5 June, according to the conservation group Traffic, who have commended authorities for their work.

Police have arrested the six crew members, including five Chinese nationals who reportedly said they were hired to collect the contraband from south-east Asia and ship it to Xiangzhou port in Guangdong. The other Malaysian crew member was said to have received instructions by satellite phone on where to rendezvous at sea to pick up the cargo. The smugglers were intercepted as they prepared to offload the nearly eight tonnes of pangolin to another vessel off Gaolan island.

According to wildlife groups, China is the main market for illegally traded exotic species, which are eaten or used in traditional medicine. Pangolin meat is considered a delicacy and their scales are thought locally to be beneficial to breast-feeding mothers.

As a result of demand, the pangolin populations of China, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia have been virtually wiped out. With traders moving further and further south, the animal is declining even in its last habitats in Java, Sumatra and the Malaysian peninsula. It is a similar story for many species of turtle, tortoise, frog and snake.

EDIT

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/13/china-customs-pangolin

[Dogmudgeon]

1. It's a shame they can't use homeopathic pangolins

--d!

[YOY]

2. Yes agreed on the Chinese Traditional Medicine...

I'm sure there are some gems in there but most of the tiger tea and rhino horn BS for male potency are just that...pure shit and far more expensive than (not to plug big PHARMA) Viagra.

Not that this for breastfeeding mothers makes it any more disgusting...

[BrklynLiberal]

3. To help raise awareness of these gentle creatures, here is a list of 11 cool facts about pangolins.

Meet the pangolin

Pangolins – scaly, toothless anteaters that resemble a giant walking artichoke – are being hunted to near extinction in Southeast Asia to meet the demands of illegal trade in pangolin meat and body parts in China.


1. Pangolin scales are made of keratin, the same material that comprises hair and fingernails. The scales also grow continuously.
2. The pangolin’s scales comprise about 20% of its weight.
3. Pangolins do not have teeth. They feed on on ants and termites using a long, sticky tongue.
4. The pangolin’s tongue – when fully extended – can be up to 16 inches longer than the entire animal.
5. Pangolins can close their ear and nostril openings to keep insects out.
6. The pangolin’s stomach grinds contents with small stones, similar to a bird’s gizzard.
7. Pangolins have very poor eyesight, but an excellent sense of smell.
8. Pangolins mark their territories with stinky secretions from a special gland, as well as the traditional marking methods of scattering feces and urine.
9. It is estimated that one pangolin can consume in excess of 70 million insects per year.
hmmm wonder what will happen to the insect population when all the Pangolin are gone...?
10. There are eight species of pangolin: Four Asian species and four African species.
11. Baby pangolins travel with their mother by riding on the base of her tail.

Pangolin populations in decline

According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, all eight pangolin species are experiencing decreasing populations. Due to an unfortunate superstition throughout China that pangolin meat, scales, fetus, and body parts have medicinal properties, the Chinese Pangolin and the Sunda Pangolin are now classified as endangered.

Visit Save Pangolins to find out how you can help these shy creatures.
http://www.savepangolins.org/

Video at site
http://ecolocalizer.com/2009/09/11/11-cool-facts-about-pangolins/

[Nihil]

5. Thanks for that lovely post and the links.

> According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, all eight pangolin species
> are experiencing decreasing populations. Due to an unfortunate superstition
> throughout China that pangolin meat, scales, fetus, and body parts have medicinal
> properties, the Chinese Pangolin and the Sunda Pangolin are now classified as
> endangered.

Dumbshit superstitious bastards.

I wish that they'd "discover" that the best penis-hardener was made from the dried
genitals of post-pubescent Chinese males. That's the one "species" that could do
with a bit of culling ...


> 9. It is estimated that one pangolin can consume in excess of 70 million insects
> per year.
> hmmm wonder what will happen to the insect population when all the Pangolin are
> gone...?

If there was any justice in the world then the Chinese would be wiped out by
insect-borne plagues. Sadly, it is far too obvious that this is not the case.

:mad:

[BrklynLiberal]

4. This is just one of the tips of the iceberg...

<snip>
In the far western region of Xinjiang, customs officers confiscated almost 8,000 horns of the Saiga antelope, an animal that is thought to have declined in the wild by more than 75% in the past 10 years. In the far northern Dalai Lake nature reserve, police were rewarded for confiscating 8,000 tonnes of aquatic products and 20 tonnes of medicinal herbs over the past nine years. In the southern, enormously biodiverse region of Yunnan, a forest police officer won an award for catching 7,110 criminals and rescuing five Asian elephants, 182 pangolins, 10 black bears and two pythons over six years.

But these reported successes are likely to be only a fraction of the illegal wildlife products that are killed and smuggled without detection across borders and inside China.