Protected frozen anteaters found on Chinese boat near Tubbataha Reef
THE Philippine coast guard says it has found hundreds of frozen scaly anteaters, or pangolins, in the cargo hold of a Chinese boat that ran aground in a protected marine sanctuary last week.
Wildlife officials have been informed of the surprising discovery, which could lead to more charges for the 12 Chinese men arrested on charges including poaching after their boat was stranded in Tubbataha Reef last week.
"We found 400 boxes containing anteaters aboard the vessel, and we are now determining where these came from," coast guard spokesman Lieutenant Commander Armand Balilo told AFP.
He could not say whether the pangolins were frozen alive, or had already been butchered as meat.
A protected species, pangolins are widely hunted in parts of Asia for their meat, skin and scales. In China, they are known as a delicacy and are purported to have medicinal qualities.
Pangolin
Pangolins acan be found in the wild in the western Philippine island of Palawan, near where the Chinese boat had been marooned.
According to the International Union of Conservation of Nature, all eight species of the insect-eating mammals are protected by international laws around the world.
Two - the Malaysian and Chinese pangolins - are in its "red list" of endangered species.
Pangolins are also found roaming in the wild in the western Philippine island of Palawan, the nearest land area to Tubbataha Reef where the Chinese boat had been marooned.
Balilo said the vessel remained stuck in Tubbataha, while the coast guard awaited arrival of a salvage ship to tow it it away.
Prosecutors charged the 12 Chinese fishermen last week with illegal poaching and with corruption for attempting to bribe Filipinos officials, and if convicted they could face long jail terms.
The grounding of the 48-metre boat came amid deep tensions between the Philippines and China over competing territorial claims to the neighbouring South China Sea.
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Protected frozen anteaters found on Chinese boat near Tubbataha Reef | News.com.au
Chinese poachers in Tubbataha could face 20 years
Agence France-Presse
Posted at 04/17/2013
MANILA - Twelve suspected Chinese poachers could face up to 20 years in prison for possession of hundreds of dead pangolins or scaly anteaters, Philippine wildlife authorities said Wednesday.
The boat carrying the 12 Chinese men ran aground on Tubbataha marine park, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed coral reef near Palawan, last week.
"We are preparing a case. We are still compiling supporting documents (but) it carries a heavy penalty of 12 to 20 years imprisonment," Adelina Villena, environment officer of the province of Palawan, told AFP.
Mere possession of the threatened species is basis for criminal charges, regardless of where the pangolins were obtained, said Villena.
All eight species of the insect-eating mammals are protected by international law. Two -- the Malaysian and Chinese pangolins -- are on the International Union of Conservation of Nature's "red list" of endangered species.
Prosecutors have already charged the men with illegal poaching and with corruption for attempting to bribe Filipino officials.
The Philippine coast guard said Monday it had found hundreds of frozen pangolins, individually wrapped in plastic and hidden in sacks in the cargo hold of a Chinese boat.
Pangolins are widely hunted in parts of Asia for their meat, skin and scales and in China they are considered a delicacy and to have medicinal qualities.
The head of the government wildlife bureau, Theresa Mundita Lim said she would visit Palawan this week to conduct tests to determine if the pangolins originated there. The island is the only place in the Philippines where pangolins are found.
"They are very rare and to get that many from Palawan would really impact on the population," she said.
The Philippine office of the World Wide Fund for Nature condemned the poaching of the pangolins after the men were caught, saying that growing demand in China was wiping the animal out in Southeast Asia.
Chinese poachers in Tubbataha could face 20 years | ABS-CBN News