1.2 Tonnes Pangolin Scales Smuggled

Under the radar of so many high officials in Indonesia, and probably get less attention from the world, several days ago Ministry of Forestry Directorate General Law Enforcement announced the result of their cooperation with Military Police of Indonesia Armed Forces, and Regional Police of North Sumatera. They caught smugglers of Pangolin scales in Asahan Regency, North Sumatera. Engaging law enforcement from military and policy was because of three officers were perpetrators.

The number of smuggling of Pangolin scales was beyond expectation. It was about 1,180 kilograms. If each Sunda Pangolin (Trenggiling/ Manis Javanica), the species that found in Sumatera, has weight 10 kilograms, and 20 % of? total weight are scales, the number of killed Pangolin to be smuggled its scales could be almost 600. Even though the smuggling could be tackled, but hundreds of Sunda Pangolin can’t be reincarnated again, of course.

Refer to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red Lists, Sunda Pangolin is listed as Critically Endangered, and the population trend is still decreasing. Critically Endangered means the population of the species has been decreasing more than 80% in the last ten years, so has extreme risk to be extinct. Once Pangolin disappears from the nature because of its killing and smuggling, it means big lost. Pangolin is the single only a mammal genus has scales.

Most cases of Pangolin smuggling have the final destination are China or Vietnam. The scales were believed as traditional medicine, in spite of no scientific evidences to support the claim.

As other cases such as smuggling of Lobster seeds, the smuggling of Pangolin scales should be high attention of Government of Indonesia. We will not get benefits from the cases, but big and permanent lost is certain. Government must avoid the killing and smuggling of Pangolin as other endangered species. More importantly, prevention must be conducted as well as education to the people and security officers.

When the last Sunda Pangolin is extinct, or only present in zoo, may be Indonesians aware they didn’t get income from the destroying Pangolin, and can’t recreate it again.