Thailand Seizes 288 Pangolins In Air Freight

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Thailand seizes 288 pangolins in air freight

BANGKOK: Thai wildlife officials said Friday they had seized 288 pangolins packed up in air freight that were believed to be bound for China to be killed and eaten.

Officials at Bangkok's cargo terminal spotted the scaly ant-eaters packed in in 72 boxes Thursday as they passed through from Malaysia to Laos. It was the first time pangolins had been found being sent by freight, officials said.

"This shows that surveillance on the ground has become so tough that the smugglers have had to resort to other means of transport," Somchai Pienstaporn, director general of the National Park and Wildlife and Plant Conservation department told AFP. He said there had been no arrests.

More than a thousand pangolins were seized by Thai authorities last year and all were presumbly bound for China.

Pangolins, found in Asia and Africa, are considered a delicacy in China and other countries and are prized for their use in traditional medicine.

Wildlife poaching is rampant in much of Southeast Asia, driven in large measure by the insatiable Chinese appetite for exotic dishes and faith in traditional medicines which8 use ingredients from the animals.