Malaysia’s $18m illegal wildlife seizure traced to Africa

Malaysian authorities say they’ve made the largest seizure of elephant ivory and other illegally trafficked wildlife parts in the nation’s history. The Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) statement said the agency found US$18 million in tusks, rhino horn, pangolin scales and related items while tracking a shipment of timber to…

U.S. arrests 2 from DR Congo for illegal wildlife trafficking

U.S. arrests 2 from DR Congo for illegal wildlife trafficking

Two people from Democratic Republic of Congo have been arrested in the United States for illegal wildlife trafficking, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Herdade Lokua, 23, and Jospin Mujangi, 31, both of Kinshasa, were arrested last week in Seattle, Washington. They were indicted by a federal grand jury…

Singapore seizes another huge pangolin shipment from Nigeria

Authorities in Singapore say they’ve seized yet another illegal shipment of pangolin scales, this time adding another 12.7 tons to last week’s interdiction of 12.9 tons of scales – or about 21,000 endangered pangolin. The latest seizure came after inspection of a 40-foot container that was en route to Vietnam…

Singapore seizes illegal pangolin scales worth $38.7 million

Authorities in Singapore say they’ve seized what is the largest illegal shipment of pangolin scales in the world in recent years, after discovering almost 13 tons in a container en route from Nigeria to Vietnam. Customs officials along with the National Parks Board inspected a 40-foot container at the Pasir…

Angola launches new wildlife protections to curb poaching

Angola’s Ministry of Environment is launching a new wildlife conservation initiative to assess the impact of poaching, and strengthen legal protections and enforcement. Aristófanes Fontes, the director of the National Institute of Biodiversity and Conservation Areas, tells state news agency ANGOP that national training, a licensing program and a law…

Pangolin scales shipped from Ghana seized by Malaysian officials

Malaysian officials say they have seized another illegal shipment of pangolin scales as it passed through Kuala Lampur International Airport (KLIA) late last week. The 288 kilograms of pangolin scales were packed in sacks inside 12 cardboard boxes labeled as oyster shells, according to a report Wednesday by the Malaysia…