 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Beijing (AFP) July 15, 2010 Chinese customs said they have seized nearly eight tonnes of frozen pangolins -- an endangered species of scaly anteater -- from a fishing boat off the southern coast. The vessel was intercepted in June carrying the huge haul of animals and nearly two tonnes of their scales, said a statement on the website of customs authorities in Jiangmen in Guangdong province. The pangolin is designated as endangered in China, and anyone found guilty of smuggling the rare animals or their parts faces life in prison or even the death penalty. However, the meat of the pangolin is considered a delicacy, fuelling trade in the animals, while their scales are scraped off for use in traditional Chinese medicine. International trade in pangolins is banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. The crew of the boat, which held 2,090 frozen pangolins, confessed they had been hired to sail from China to two meeting points at sea where they received the cargo. They were intercepted en route back to China, where pangolin meat can fetch 600 to 800 yuan (89 to 118 dollars) a kilogramme on the black market, while their scales can cost 4,000 yuan a kilo. According to wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC, a member of the crew had received instructions by satellite telephone on where to rendezvous at sea. "The use of satellite phones and trans-shipment of cargo at sea are indicative of the increasingly sophisticated methods being used by the organised criminal gangs involved in wildlife crime," James Compton, TRAFFIC's Asia Pacific coordinator, said in a statement emailed to AFP. According to Jiangmen customs authorities, a total of 38,599 rare animal parts were seized in China between 2007 and the end of June this year. Pangolins are indigenous to the jungle of Indonesia, parts of Malaysia and areas of southern Thailand. Wildlife officials have said the animals face a serious threat from poachers and smugglers in Southeast Asia, with inadequate punishment and lack of information encouraging the burgeoning trade.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology
AgBank shares to start trading in Hong KongHong Kong (AFP) July 16, 2010 Agricultural Bank of China's shares were set to start trading in Hong Kong Friday, one day after the bank's mammoth initial public offering drew a tepid investor response in its Shanghai debut. The last of China's "Big Four" state banks to go public is on track to raise a world record 22.1 billion US dollars in the dual Hong Kong-Shanghai listing which has shone a spotlight on investor confi ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook
