Muhammad Ali (left) with his assistant Noorhesham Noordin show two of the seized pangolins at the Kedah Wildlife and National Parks Department. — Bernama photo
ALOR SETAR: The arrival of winter in China and Vietnam has increased the demand for pangolins to such an extent that Kedah, which is bordering Thailand, has now become the transit point for the smuggling of the protected species.
Kedah Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) director Muhammad Ali Che Aman said the exotic animal, priced at between RM200 and RM300 per kg in local market, could fetch up to five times higher in the overseas black market.
“The smuggling of the protected species usually occurred at the Kedah border as the animals will usually be transited in Thailand before being smuggled to China or Vietnam. To identify the origin of the pangolins, we need to make a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test,” he told a press conference at Wisma Persekutuan Anak Bukit here yesterday.
He said from January until yesterday, 399 pangolins valued at RM1.5 million were seized at several locations such as Alor Setar, Kulim, Bukit Kayu Hitam, Jitra and Changlun by the Perhilitan, Malaysian Border Security Agency (Aksem) and the police.
Kedah Aksem commander Abdul Latif Abdul Rahman said the pangolin scales were also had high demand in the two countries as it could be used for cosmetic purposes.
“A kilogramme of pangolin scales can fetch over RM20,000,” he said when contacted by Bernama.
The import of pangolin scales is prohibited under the Customs Order (Prohibition on Imports) 2017 except with import permit from the Perhilitan.
On Tuesday, Aksem foiled an attempt to smuggle 55 packages containing pangolins worth nearly RM200,000 when the animals were found in the boot of a car driven by a Thai national in a roadblock near the Bukit Kayu Hitam Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security Complex (ICQS).
Prior to this, Kedah Perhilitan seized 85 pangolins valued at RM350,000 in a raid at a house in Kampung Darat, Changlun and detained a 37-year-old man. — Bernama