COMMEMORATION days do two things — they give us a chance to celebrate the good and remind us that we can always do better.
World Pangolin Day, observed on Feb 16, was a classic example.
Just days before, on Feb 7, Malaysia witnessed its most significant win against pangolin trafficking when Sabah police and the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) shut down a pangolin-processing factory and warehouse, seizing a monumental 30 tonnes of pangolin and their parts.
The bust blew 2017 records out of the water. That was the year more than 17 tonnes of African pangolin scales were intercepted by the Customs Department via seizures in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.
The 30-tonne seizure in Sabah followed enforcement successes in Vietnam, Hong Kong and Uganda, but was massive by any standard. It accounted for 76 per cent of the 40 tonnes seized globally in the first two months of this year.
Yet, the neat rows of nearly 2,000 boxes that filled three containers and the almost 600 frozen pangolins packed into six freezers in the two facilities that were raided didn’t just speak of traffickers denied. It also demonstrated the terrifying rate at which pangolins are being wiped out.
Imagine how much more is going unnoticed as criminal masterminds get away with organised crime. Was this syndicate collecting and distributing pangolins from Borneo, and if so, for how long?
Sadly, this level of extraction is not new. A decade ago, SWD found a stack of logbooks in a pangolin-processing warehouse, which they generously shared with TRAFFIC, the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network.
Our analyses showed that about 22,200 pangolins were killed and more than 800kg of pangolin scales were supplied to a single syndicate during a 13-month period. Locations for records, including sources and destinations, were Kota Kinabalu, Keningau, Kota Belud, Kota Marudu, Ranau, Tawau, Tamparuli, Sandakan, Sipitang, Papar and Beaufort.
Organised crime, exemplified by syndicates like these, also typically doesn’t see their masterminds on the frontline. It is impossible for one individual to account for the loss of thousands of pangolins.
We urge the authorities to study the financial flows of the illegal businesses all the way to its top guns, and possibly bring money laundering charges against those involved.
This is important because the worst financial penalty the suspect in the Feb 7 case may get, if convicted under Sabah’s Wildlife Conservation Enactment, is a fine of RM250,000. The authorities have valued the seized items at RM8.4 million, making the syndicate’s revenue 33 times higher than the law’s heftiest fine.
The string of notable seizures in Malaysia, particularly since 2017, highlights the country’s critical role in the poaching and trafficking of Asian and African pangolins.
These seizures reinforce the fact that the authorities have the ability to take down such smuggling operations and answer questions like is Malaysia really a consumer country that uses tonnes of pangolins? Were these for local or international demand? If the latter, who are these Malaysians who are part of the international smuggling ring? How are they scouring, poaching, processing, consolidating, redistributing and trafficking pangolins across national and international borders?
Most important is the golden opportunity these enforcement successes have created. It is a chance to unearth the underbelly of a vast criminal network and ensure it doesn’t regroup and resurface after a period in hiding.
We are heartened that the authorities continue to remain vigilant, making a seizure of 23 pangolins from a Sarawakian trying to cross into Sabah a week after the mega bust.
Well-funded and incredibly nimble wildlife crime syndicates have remained ahead of poorly staffed and underfunded enforcement agencies around the world.
TRAFFIC’s research has shown that smugglers use an average of 27 new global trade routes annually to smuggle more than 120 tonnes of pangolins.
There are many agencies and private entities that can help the wildlife authorities battle criminals. Among them are those in the logistics and transport sectors that move consignments in and out of local and national jurisdictions. It’s time all parties played their part.
The role Malaysia plays in wildlife trafficking has given it a prickly label, an unfavourable image the country will want to shake off. Thorough investigations and strong convictions will help it figure out where the problems lie and address them.
KANITHA KRISHNASAMY
Southeast Asia director, TRAFFIC, Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network