Three arrested with endangered pangolin in Kwale moved to Nairobi
The pangolin that was recovered from three suspects in Vugurungani village, Kwale County. Three suspects are in police custody after being found in possession of the mammal.
Three suspects are in police custody after being found in possession of a pangolin, believed to be the world’s most trafficked non-human mammal.
Mr Pas Mwiti (30), Kabwere Tembe, (26) and Salim Nduria (22) were arrested in Vugurungani village, Kwale County, on Tuesday following a tip-off from members of the public.
They were moved to Nairobi for further interrogation.
"Posing as well oiled businessmen engaged in the illicit trade of the world’s most endangered mammal, the sleuths lured the sellers from their hideout before pouncing on them and rescuing the animal," the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said in a statement.
The DCI estimates that a pangolin costs about Sh4 million in the black market.
The scaled animal is believed to be one of the most trafficked species in the world.
Those who get hold of it use it for spiritual protection and in financial rituals.
"Two of the suspects attempted to set the animal free, trying to escape,” the DCI said. But detectives chased after the animal and captured it along with the suspects.
The male pangolin was handed over to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) at the Nairobi Animal Orphanage.
Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala lauded the recovery saying the government was committed to protecting all wildlife from illicit trade.
Pangolins are the world's only scaly mammals, with the scales making up about 20 per cent of its total body weight.
They are threatened by poachers due to high global demand for their scales and meat, especially in China, where it is used in traditional medicine.
All pangolin species are afforded the highest protection status under the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) due to their exploitation in illegal trade.
If found guilty, the three suspects face a fine of not less than one Sh1 million or imprisonment of not less than five years or both.
More than one million pangolins were snatched from Asian and African forests in the past decade, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
They are sold in markets in China and Vietnam, where their scales are used in traditional medicine – though they have no medicinal benefits – and their meat is bought on the black market.
