GUWAHATI: Chinese Pangolin Acting on a tip-off, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and Guwahati Territorial Division, Assam Forest Dept on Monday nabbed two persons with a live Chinese pangolin from the city’s Khanapara area.

The two were identified as Manab Rabha and Pallab Dhar hailing from Barpeta and the city respectively.

“The accused bought the live pangolin from Goalpara and were planning to resell it to a customer in the city,” WCCB sources said.

Pangolins caught dead or alive here are being trafficked to China’s Yunnan province via Burma, which shares a porous 1,600km border with northeast Indian states like Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.

The Chinese pangolin, also commonly referred to as scaly anteaters, is considered to be a critically endangered species. These animals are widely trafficked globally as there is a huge demand for their scales and meat. WCCB sources said around 6000 pangolins were recovered from smugglers across the country between 2009 and 2017.

“There is a huge demand for these mammals in China and southeast Asia where pangolin meat is considered a delicacy and a tonic food because of its alleged medicinal properties. Pangolin scales are used as an ingredient in traditional medicines as they are believed to cure various ailments,” the sources added.

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