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| Seized pangolin scales in Abong Mbang, divisional delegation office |
Five people have been arrested in connection with the
trafficking and sale of pangolin scales in Abong Mbang in the East Region. They
were arrested by wildlife officials of the Upper Nyojng Divisional Delegation
of Forestry and Wildlife during attempts by the suspects at selling 45kg of
pangolin scales. The operation was carried out in collaboration with the
police, the state counsel’s chambers and with the technical assistance of The
Last Great Ape Organisation (LAGA).
Five
people were found by police and wildlife officials, weighing and negotiating
the sale of the pangolin scales when they were quickly rounded up and arrested.
The scales that were contained in rice bags and knack sacks were equally
seized. One of the traffickers attempted to escape when he saw policemen but
was quickly stopped They were taken to the Abong Mbang wildlife office despite
attempting despite some resistance.
When
they arrived the wildlife office, news of their arrest got to family members
who came agitating and piling pressure on wildfire officials to force their
release and in the midst of the chaos that ensued, one of the traffickers was
assisted to escape under the pretext of going to the toilets. The
person who provided assistance to the escapee was immediately arrested and all
suspects moved to the police station where calmed returned. The next day, the
family members returned to the police station to either force or bribe their
way to getting the suspects released but their attempts failed. Search is
underway to arrest the escapee and all five are held in pretrial detention.
One of
the operation team members who spoke on condition of anonymity said the
suspects are regular pangolin scale traffickers who have links to other
traffickers in Yaounde where they either move the scales for supplies or have
their clients come to Abong Mbang to collect the them. One of the suspects who
was arrested with her husband, is also as a bushmeat seller. This enables her
to have prime connections with poachers and small time traffickers in the area,
according to prior investigations reports.
Abong
Mbang is an important hub for trafficking of wildlife products coming in from
the various divisions of the East Region. The town equally serves as collection
centre for pangolin scales traffickers heading to Yaounde and Douala. Over the
years, several traffickers have been arrested in this colonial town that has
easy and direct access to Yaounde where the majority of the scales collected
end up.
The
illegal trade in wildlife species is punishable by the 1994 wildlife governing
the sector and if the suspects are found guilty they face up to 3 years in
prison and or the payment of a fine of up to 10million CFA francs. The
punishment is aimed at dissuading trafficking in wildlife products like
pangolin scales that is attracting serious interest from traffickers in Asia,
specifically China and Vietnam.
Pangolin
scales are believed to have medicinal purposes and used in traditional Chinese
medicines despite no scientific proof that it has such properties. The scales
are made of keratin just like human nails. Some reports say the scales are
equally used for fashion accessories. Like the trade in elephant tusks in the
80s and 90s, the illegal trade in pangolin scales is expanding at lighting
speed and conservation measures seem to be struggling to get a hold on this.
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