Trading Protected Species
Three Indonesian men have been arrested for allegedly trading in protected species, with police seizing animal parts including a tiger skin, deer genitalia and pangolin scales. The suspects were caught after an undercover police operation at a hotel in the city of Medan on Sumatra Island, which is close to national parks that are home to panoply of exotic animals. Pangolins, known as "scaly anteaters” are the world's most heavily trafficked mammal and a global wildlife conference that voted to ban all trade in the creatures. Indonesia, the world's biggest archipelago of over 17,000 islands, is one of the world's most biodiverse nations and its vast expanses of jungle are home to numerous endangered animals. But many are under threat as poachers increasingly target them for their body parts, which are regarded as edible delicacies and used in traditional Chinese medicine. Their habitats are also being obliterated by rapid expansion of palm oil and pulpwood plantations.
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