The CBCGDF Pangolins "African Warrior": I do All This, Just Hope People not to Consume Amount of Wildlife for Food, Pangolins not to Get Hurt Anymore
2019/4/7 17:46:00 本站

Pangolin is one of the most threatened mammals by the illegal trade in the world. In recent years, the number of pangolins and their scales smuggled from Africa has increased, due to the numbers of it has decreased dramatically in China, Southeast Asia, and South Asia.

 

In February this year, Hong Kong Customs seized more than 8.3 tons of pangolin scales smuggled from Nigeria, making it the largest illegal transaction ever seized by the Customs.

 

What is the survival status of wild pangolins in Africa? At the end of March, the volunteer "African Warrior" of China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) went to Nigeria, Africa's most populous country and China's third largest trading partner, to investigate the status of wildlife and pangolins.

 

"Two local guys came with pangolins."

 

Nigeria is located in southeastern West Africa, with a total population of 173 million, accounting for 16% of Africa's total population. Over the past 10 years, Nigeria's economy has developed rapidly. By 2016, Nigeria's economy has surpassed South Africa, becoming the NO.1 of Africa and the 26th largest economy in the world.

 

For the Chinese, with the increase of economic contacts with Nigeria, more and more Chinese people begin to understand Nigeria and live in Nigeria. "I don't know exactly how many Chinese people there are, but there are many Chinese people who can meet Chinese people at any time." CBCGDF "African Warrior" said.

 

After arriving in Lagos, Nigeria, "African Warrior" easily contacted a local man selling wildlife through Wechat, saying that she wanted two pangolins. The young man who sells wildlife on Wechat claimed to sell rhinoceros horn, pangolin, pangolin scales, ivory and so on, at a price of 15,000 nairas (equivalent to more than 300 yuan).

 

The next day, two local men came with a bag wrapped in two layers. A flour bag with Chinese "Wudeli Flour mill 910 Flour" printed on it. The inside is a yellow bag with English characters such as "CHIKUN**". A guy took two pangolins out of his bag, kicked them with his foot, indicating that they were alive. CBCGDF volunteer asked, "This is alive"? A young man answered, "Yes". Another ragged peddler took a pangolin, which had been shrunk into a ball on the ground, lifted it up again and threw it on the ground.

 

The volunteer "African Warrior" noticed that one of the young men who spoke Chinese, because he had been selling pangolins and other wild animals to Chinese people for a long time. Next time if Chinese people need pangolins again, they will deliver them to their doors.

 

"African Warrior" bought the pangolins and prepared to release them the next day. But it was found that the two pangolins were dead. "It smells bad. It's over 30 degrees here." The volunteer let the local people dispose of pangolins. Nigeria has a tropical grassland climate, with high temperatures and rainy weather throughout the year. The two pangolins failed to escape the doom.


In addition, the volunteer also learned through Chinese friends that the animals eaten here are wild, including crocodiles. One of her friends said that he often eats pangolin soup, and the Chinese eat pangolin almost every week. "Because they think the local medical conditions are not good, pangolin can improve their immunity and pangolin soup is a very common food," the "African Warrior" said.


In front of the door of a local Chinese supermarket, the volunteer saw an iron cage with more than 10 wild turtles for sale in public. CBCGDF backup team confirmed that the turtles were East African side neck turtle and West African side neck turtle. Even though these two species are not protected species, and their fate is worrying according to this way of eating.

The volunteer visited the local market: they were peddling wildlife to the Chinese.


Early in the morning of March 22, it rained. The volunteer "African Warrior" decided to go to the market in the countryside. Despite the relatively good security conditions in the city, she found a local policeman for security on the first day of the investigation.


"It's not clear how far this place is. Drivers need 20,000 Naira's fare, totaling more than 400 yuan. It's estimated that the journey should be very far." On the way, "African Warrior" saw that the forest ecology along the road was well protected, basically primitive forest, which had not been developed. "It's supposed to be a paradise for wildlife, but now it's almost a hell for wildlife," the volunteer said.


There are many Chinese people in the area. Our volunteer noticed that besides do business and work here. There are big company employees, who do timber business, mining business, international trade business, generators business, as well as architectural business. There are many kinds of jobs and Chinese people are particularly rich. "Compared with Nigeria's local economic level or the average domestic wage earners, Chinese in Nigeria are very wealthy. Even their lowest income is about 10,000 yuan a month, and the annual salary of millions or even tens of millions is normal," the volunteer said. And because most of the local people believe in the Muslim religion, they usually eat fish, beef, except pork and wildlife.

 

By the time the volunteer arrived on the market, it was afternoon. As soon as Chinese people entered the market, many black men vendors gathered to sell wildlife to our volunteer. One vendor regretfully told the volunteer that today's pangolins are sold out, leaving only crocodiles, lizards, snakes, turtles and a wild animal that like a piggy. Although the language is not familiar, our volunteer can clearly feel that Chinese people eat wildlife is well-known.

 

"A pangolin can't be sold in the market for 300-400 yuan. Chinese who work and live in the area buy it as if they buy a chicken or a duck." In the market research, our volunteer saw the local police standing outside the market, but they ignored all kinds of wild animals sold publicly in the market.

 

In the circle of local Chinese people, we can see a lot of wildlife on the spot. One of the videos from a Chinese showed that local men were peddling two suedes for 18,000 nairas. "African Warrior" asked him about pangolin. The Chinese affirmed that he had eaten a pangolin. He also said that it was very cheap. Another information shows that the Chinese in Nigeria caught the local pheasant. In addition, some Chinese people believe that pangolins can be a great tonic to their body.

 

"Chinese eat wildlife that is very common in Nigeria. On the contrary, vegetables are very expensive and difficult to buy." After investigating the local wildlife market for one day, "African Warrior" described her mood as fear, surprise, unforgettable, heartache, homesickness...

 

"I hope that I can fully know about the marketing chain of pangolin here, such as how local men seize it, how it is sold to Chinese people, and how Chinese people eat it," the volunteer said. I went to Nigeria to investigate pangolin and wildlife conditions. "I did all this just to remind the Chinese people that they shouldn't hurt pangolins anymore.

 

In Africa, there are four species of pangolins: arboreal white-bellied pangolin, long-tailed pangolin, giant pangolin, and South African pangolin, the first three of which live in the forests of Central Africa. However, the latest survey in 2019 estimates that at least 400,000 pangolins are seized and eaten each year, and a large number of scales are illegally smuggled.

 

In order to protect pangolins, we will continue to show the result of the survey of the "African Warrior" in Nigeria, Africa.


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(Photo credit: CBCGDF volunteer)


Original Chinese article:

http://www.cbcgdf.org/NewsShow/4937/8134.html


By / Li Xue