Enforcing laws protecting the pangolin

Arrested pangolin scale trafficker in Bertoua, bags of seized pangolin scales and ivory tusks

The Court of Appeal, East Region, shall review a case on the 10th of January 2017 against a certain Anthony NwabuNwanne, a Nigerian national who was sentenced to 75 days imprisonment by the Bertoua Court of First Instance for trafficking in pangolin scales. Nwabu was found with five bags of pangolin scales weighing over 200 kg and 12 elephant tusks. The operation that enabled the arrest and prosecution of the trafficker was carried out under the framework of the wildlife law enforcement  programme of the Ministry and Forestry and Wildlife that was launched in 2003 to track and prosecute those breaking the wildlife law. Under the same programme three other pangolin scales traffickers were also arrested and tried in 2016.

                Early in December, NwanaDoh Felix and Ndjoheu Jean Marie were given a 3-month imprisonment term for trafficking in over 128 kg of pangolin scales. They had been arrested in Ngaoundal in August 2016 as they attempted to sell the scales.

                The trial that was followed by many in Tibati, in the Adamoua Region, lasted 3 months and many feared the case could be seriously undermined by the popularity of NwanaDoh alias Eto’o, who is said to be well connected and has strong links with the local administration especially law enforcement officials. 

                But the presiding judge stood firm and made a decision which although not very stern, provided some acceptable punishment for the two criminals.

                These two cases illustrate the problems with conservation measures geared toward the pangolin that is also widely consumed as food in the country. While it was never in doubt as to the guilt of the Nigerian trafficking in pangolin scales, the court that tried the matter seemed not to have successfully evaluated the damage done to the species by Anthony and observers say this could have jeopardized the chances of giving a commensurate punishment to the trafficker by the court. 

                At least 50 giant pangolins must have been slaughtered to provide the over 200 kg of scales and at least 6 elephants killed to obtain 12 elephant tusks, although it could have been more because the tusks were not all in exact pairs. An elephant has two tusks.

                The judge in the case in Tibati clearly had many exogenous factors that could potentially wreck the process but decided to apply a stronger penalty.

                The rather poor understanding by the public and surprisingly by some professionals, of the threat that trafficking in pangolin scales poses to the survival of the species is astonishing. Little is known of the plight of the pangolin, an animal that is increasingly coming under intense poaching and trafficking mainly for its meat and scales. This is facilitated by the pangolin’s docility and almost defenseless nature. It’s only amour, the scales, rather than being a realarmour, is attracting fatal attention from poachers and traffickers. 

                Until recently, not only the extinction status of the species was a matter of interminable discourse but no specific measures were put in place to conserve the animal. Today it is known to be the most trafficked mammal in the world and the Washington Convention CoP 17 that held in South Africa in September responded by upgrading it to Appendix I reserved for animals with the highest level of protection. 

                This is a welcome relief for those fighting for the survival of the pangolin but government needs to move fast to upgrade the species to class A, aligning it with the latest CITES decision and giving it the fullest of protections it deserves. The faster this is done the better for survival of the species.

                Some of the work needed to be done  is already being carried out by the US-sponsored Progress on Pangolin Mentor Fellowship Programme that is hosted by the ZSL in Bastos, Yaounde. The programme that aims to build pangolin champions is the first of its kind in the country and the sub-region as far as pangolin conservation is concerned. A survey is currently being undertaken by this group and this could help provide enough data  for policy decision and messaging in pangolin conservation. The pangolin has long been in the dark but light, it seems,  is beginning to enter the tunnel. Hopefully many more initiatives shall join enforcement activity to stem the decline to extinction of the pangolin.