Malaysian police rescue 23 pangolins from suspected smugglers

Thu, 28 Oct 2010

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian police rescued 23 pangolins thought to have been smuggled from Indonesia for Malaysian dinner tables, a news report said Thursday.

Marine police in the southern state of Johor gave chase to a suspicious vehicle leaving the jetty of Parit Jamil early Wednesday.

When they caught the car, the officers discovered the animals inside, while the driver was able to escape, district marine police commander Nordin Osman was quoted as saying by the Star newspaper.

The pangolins, which were thought to have come from the nearby Indonesian island of Sumatra, had an estimated market value of 50,000 ringgit (about 16,000 dollars), police said.

The rescued animals would be handed over to the wildlife department, the report said.

Pangolins are prized for their meat, which some believe contains medicinal value.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/350759,23-pangolins-suspected-smugglers.html.