Angolan authorities rescued 16 pangolins during an operation conducted at the Kilamba shopping center on Monday. This operation was a joint initiative of the National Institute of Biodiversity and Protected Areas (INBAC), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and the Criminal Investigation Service (SIC).
As a result of this action, a middleman who was selling the animals for 25 thousand kwanzas (23.7 euros) each was detained, amounting to a total of 150 thousand kwanzas (142.6 euros).
This operation followed another one that took place on the 25th of last month. Ten pangolins were rescued then in the central part of Sekele, Icolo and Bengo province. In that action, authorities received assistance from a philanthropist who purchased the animals as a result of illegal trade and subsequently handed over the pangolins to INBAC.
The pangolin is an endangered species and is particularly vulnerable to illegal trade and trafficking. This is due to the demand for its derivatives, particularly its scales, which are highly sought after in traditional Asian medicine, especially in China and Vietnam, as well as its meat.