Hong Kong customs officers announce a record eight-tonne seizure of pangolin scales, along with two tonnes of ivory, on February 1 at the Kwai Chung Customhouse Cargo Examination Compound illegal wildlife trade. (Photo by Anthony WALLACE / AFP)HONG KONG: Hong Kong customs officers unveiled a record seizure of pangolin scales on Friday, the latest huge haul to underscore the city's central role in the lucrative and booming illegal wildlife trade. "This is a record high in quantity for a seizure of pangolin scales," the customs department said in a statement. Customs officers displayed dozens of sacks filled with scales to the media on Friday as well as as hundreds of uncarved tusks, in an acrid-smelling room. China finally banned the ivory trade a year ago while Hong Kong began phasing it out a few months later.

Source: Bangkok Post February 01, 2019 06:50 UTC