Meirirenwu (每日人物) Liang Yulin reports
Recently, Guangxi Terrestrial Wildlife Rescue Research and Epidemic Disease Monitoring center (Abbr. Guangxi Rescue Station) was once again revealed by environmental protection agencies to have conducted “illegal animal transportation” during rehabilitation work. Last year, 33 live pangolins were rescued by the station. However, all those pangolins died, and the results of the relevant investigation have not been announced.
On August 10, the director of the environmental protection agency told staffs of Meirirenwu that “illegal transportation may cause a chain of death of pangolins” and “there may be illegal trade behind the scenes”. Meirirenwu contacted the Guangxi Forestry Department (GFD) about this issue, but there is no reply.
On August 9, the Environmental Protection Organization, China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) claimed that Guangxi Rescue Station has repeatedly applied for administrative licenses of transporting terrestrial wildlife and their products, and has sent pangolins to The Yanbu Yuehui Teng Steel Business Department in Foshan City, Guangdong Province, and Sanling pangolin Farm in Zhangshu City, Jiangxi Province.
Through official enterprise information website, the business scope of Yanbu Yuehui Teng Steel Business Department is selling metal materials, hardware, electrical appliances and decorative materials, and does not contain any content related to wild animals.
Meirirenwu contacts the steel business department, but the person of the company hung up the phone for reasons such as "I do not know" and “you called the wrong number”.
According to the public information of the GFD, the rescue station transported a total of 28 pangolins to the steel business department 3 times in 2015 and transported 20 pangolins 2 times in 2016.
Previously, CBCGDF had requested the GFD multiple times to disclose the pangolin rescue situation and has not received a response yet.
According to media reports, in August 2017, Guangxi police seized 33 live pangolins and 1 dead pangolin in an illegal transportation case. They were then handed over to the GFD and rescued by the Guangxi Rescue Station.
In March 2018, CBCGDF once again sent a letter to the GFD for the information of the 32 pangolins, and then received the specific death figures, time, and reasons, but was told to not disclose it to public.
Due to disagreement by the decision made by GFD who refuse to disclose information about the pangolins, CBCGDF proposed to China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration (NFGA) for an administrative reconsideration of GFD’s reply. On August 2, NFGA judged that the decision of GFD’s excuse is not sound and it urged the GFD to reply CBCGDF’s information-disclosure request again.
On August 6, GFD held a press conference. Director of Guangxi Rescue Station said that the 32 rescued pangolins were force fed when arrive. They were also in high stress, refused to eat and carried infectious pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, they died in the two months after receiving. At present, relevant samples is still testing by the Chinese Academy of Military Sciences, and there is no available test result at this point.
The response of the GFD at the press conference is inconsistent with the response from April: Researching by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (which is different from Chinese Academy of Military Sciences) that the pangolins are mostly carrying highly pathogenic viruses.
Those contradicting conclusions and statement of detections make CBCGDF feel concern about the real situation of those 32 pangolins.
Up to now, GFD has not responded to the request of China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration.
(Photo source: Internet)
Original Chinese news article link:
https://xw.qq.com/cmsid/20180810A1LOW600