By AFPMore by this AuthorA record eight tonnes of pangolin scales found in a container from Nigeria was unveiled by Hong Kong officials Friday, underscoring the city's central role in the booming illegal wildlife trade. "This is a record high in quantity for a seizure of pangolin scales," the customs department said in a statement. The announcement came less than two weeks after a coalition of local conservation groups called on Hong Kong to do more to crack down on illegal wildlife smuggling by ending legal loopholes and lenient sentences. ADM Capital Foundation, one of the groups behind last month's report, said 21 tonnes of pangolin scales have now been seized in the last year in Hong Kong. China finally banned the ivory trade a year ago, while Hong Kong began phasing it out a few months later.

Source: Daily Nation February 02, 2019 03:45 UTC