China: 93 Pounds of Pangolin Scales, Small Amount of Rhino Horn Confiscated

Beijing customs officials seized 42 kilograms (93 pounds) of pangolin scales, plus .31 kilograms (11 ounces) of rhino horn, at the Beijing Capital International Airport.

The items were confiscated from two Chinese passengers who arrived on a flight from Doha, Qatar.

According to the PRC Customs website, the incident occurred on June 17^th. No information was provided as to whether the rhino horn was a piece of, or powdered, horn, although the average weight for a white rhino horn is 5.5 kilograms (12 pounds).

Pangolin scales and rhino horn are both prized in traditional Chinese medicine, although the actual medicinal efficacy remains unproven.

Also in China, authorities arrested three wildlife traffickers in Nanning and confiscated hundreds of bear paws, along with pangolin and tortoise carcasses. Earlier this month in Shanghai, five pangolins were confiscated from a smuggler.

However, the same vigilance has yet to be demonstrated regarding China’s ongoing trade in tiger skins, bones, and body parts.

Image © iStockphoto.com

Rhishja Cota

I am the founder of Annamiticus and I have been researching and writing about wildlife trafficking issues since 2009. I also founded World Pangolin Day in 2012. I am the author of USAID Wildlife Asia's Pangolin Species Identification Guide: A Rapid Assessment Tool for Field and Desk. I co-facilitated and was a presenter at the USAID Wildlife Asia Pangolin Care Workshop. At the 4th Regional Dialogue on Combating Trafficking of Wild Fauna and Flora, I facilitated the species roundtables on pangolins. I have trekked with forest rangers in Cambodia, journeyed to the streets of Hanoi to research the illegal wildlife trade, and to the rainforests of Sumatra and Java to document the world’s rarest rhinos. At CITES meetings, I collaborate with colleagues from around the world to lobby in favor of protecting endangered species. I hosted the Behind the Schemes podcast and am the author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine. I enjoy music, desert gardening, herping, reading, creating, and walking with my dogs. Check out my t-shirts and stickers at snoots + teefers.