Last week the IUCN changed the status of the Malayan and the Chinese pangolins from near-threatened to endangered. These notoriously shy and scaly mammals, resembling anteaters with armored plates, have become the victim of a booming illegal wildlife trade in Southeast Asia.
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The gentle pangolin (Manis javanica), found in Malaysia and Thailand, is officially listed as "endangered", under threat of extinction. Last month, the New Straits Times reported on the increasing illegal trade in pangolins; between 1998 and last year, the media reported 34 cases of pangolin smuggling and the confiscation of 6,000 specimens.
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The Sunda Pangolin (Manis javanica) and Chinese Pangolin (M. pentadactyla) have both had their listing changed on this years IUCN Redlist. In 2007 both species were listed as LR/nt - Low Risk/Near Threatened. They are now listed as EN (Endangered).
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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.
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The marine police have crippled a pangolin-smuggling syndicate with the arrest of eight men and the seizure of 16 pangolins worth about RM81,000 off Sungai Sarang Buaya near here.
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