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Chinese vessel on Philippine coral reef caught with illegal pangolin meat Chinese vessel on Philippine coral reef caught with illegal pangolin meat
(about 4 hours later)
A Chinese vessel that ran into a protected coral reef in the south-western Philippines held evidence of even more environmental destruction inside: more than 10,000kg (22,046lb) of meat from a protected species, the pangolin or scaly anteater. A Chinese boat that crashed into a protected coral reef in the Philippines was hiding the remains of a second environmental disaster in its hold: thousands of illegally killed pangolins, a scaly anteater prized for its meat and scales in China.
The steel-hulled vessel hit an atoll on 8 April at the Tubbataha national marine park, a Uuneso-designated World Heritage site on Palawan island. Coastguard spokesman Armand Balilo said on Monday around 400 boxes, each containing 25-30kg of frozen pangolins, were discovered during a second inspection of the boat on Saturday. The vessel hit an atoll on 8 April at the Tubbataha national marine park, a Uuneso-designated World Heritage site on Palawan island that was also struck by a US minesweeper in January. Coastguard spokesman Armand Balilo said on Monday about 400 boxes, totalling over 10 tonnes of frozen pangolins, were discovered during a second inspection of the boat on Saturday.
The boat's 12 Chinese crewmen are being detained on charges of poaching and attempted bribery, said Adelina Villena, the marine park's lawyer. She said more charges are being prepared against them, including damaging the corals and violating the country's wildlife law for being found in possession of the pangolin meat. All trade in the four Asian species of pangolin has been illegal since 2002 but the appetite of Chinese consumers for its meat, prized as a delicacy, and its scales, believed to benefit breast-feeding mothers, has virtually wiped out the creatures in China, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Pangolin traders, who use dogs or traps to capture the wild animals, have since moved into its last habitats in Java, Sumatra and the Malaysian peninsula, driving populations down but prices up.
It is not yet clear which of the four Asian pangolin species the meat comes from. The International Union of Conservation of Nature lists two species as endangered: the Sunda, or Malayan pangolin, and the Chinese pangolin. Two others, including the Philippine pangolin endemic to Palawan, are classified as near threatened. Chris Shepherd, an expert at wildlife trade group Traffic and based in Malaysia, told the Guardian: "There is no way a slow-breeding species like the pangolin can withstand this huge pressure for long." He said the enforcement of laws had not kept pace with demand for the pangolin meat and scales, which can fetch hundreds of dollars per kilogramme in China: "We have seen a really obscene amount of seizures but very few people are arrested and even fewer convicted."
The animals are protected by laws in many Asian nations, and an international ban on their trade has been in effect since 2002, but illicit trade continues. The meat and scales of the pangolin fetch hundreds of dollars per kilogramme in China, where many believe they cure various ailments. The 12 Chinese crewmen from the wrecked vessel are being held on charges of poaching and attempted bribery, said Adelina Villena, the marine park's lawyer, and face further charges, including damaging coral reef and possessing pangolin meat. Tubbataha reef is a marine sanctuary and popular diving destination 640km south-west of Manila and had already been damaged by a US navy ship that got stuck in January and had to be dismantled.
The IUCN says rising demand for pangolins and lax laws are wiping out the toothless anteaters from their forest habitat in south-east Asia. The Philippine military quoted the fishermen as saying they accidentally wandered into Philippine waters from Malaysia. The fishermen face up to 12 years' imprisonment and fines of up to $300,000 (£196,000) for the poaching charge alone. For possessing pangolin meat, they can be imprisoned up to six years and fined, Villena said.
Alex Marcaida, an officer of the government's Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, Philippine authorities consider the Philippine pangolin threatened because of unabated illicit trade. He said the Chinese crewmen have alleged the pangolins came from Indonesia, but officials were still verifying the claim. The Philippine pangolin haul is one of the largest on record. In 2010, 7.8 tonnes of frozen pangolin and 1.8 tonnes of scales were seized from a fishing vessel by customs officers in Guangdong, China, while a series of customs seizures in Vietnam in 2008 yielded 23 tonnes of frozen pangolins in a week.
The Philippine military quoted the fishermen as saying they accidentally wandered into Philippine waters from Malaysia. They were being detained in south-western Puerto Princesa city, where Chinese consular officials visited them. It is not yet clear from which of the four Asian pangolin species the meat comes. The International Union of Conservation of Nature lists two species as endangered: the Sunda, or Malayan pangolin, and the Chinese pangolin. Two others, including the Philippine pangolin endemic to Palawan, are classified as near threatened, though the Philippine government considers its pangolin threatened because of the unabated illicit trade. Overall, the IUCN says rising demand is wiping out pangolins from their forest habitat in south-east Asia, along with many other species, leaving "ghost forests" stripped of wildlife. In 2007, an abandoned 'Noah's Ark' of 5,000 rare animals was found floating off the coast of China.
Tubbataha reef is a 97,000-hectare (239,700-acre) marine sanctuary and popular diving destination 640km (400 miles) south-west of Manila. The massive reef already had been damaged by a US navy ship that got stuck in January and had to be dismantled. "The enforcement agencies in the region are very reactive," said Shepherd. "There is not enough investigation into who is behind the networks." In March, the world's top wildlife trade official told the Guardian that crime syndicates and terrorists are outgunning those on the frontline of wildlife protection and pose a deadly threat to both people and animals.
The fishermen face up to 12 years' imprisonment and fines of up to $300,000 (£196,000) for the poaching charge alone. For possession of the pangolin meat, they can be imprisoned up to six years and fined, Villena said.