The agents of the Tax Protection of Civil Guard and the tax administration of Valencia airport have made a surprising discovery. They found a dead African pangolin (“Manis sp.”) in a suitcase belonging to a passenger from Equatorial Guinea.
“Following the usual passenger control procedure, he was ordered by customs to pass his luggage through the baggage scanner installed in the arrivals area of the airport,” they explained in a press release.
Already in the scanner, the agent who operated it could see the image of the animal inside a suitcase, so he asked the traveler to open the suitcase. During the physical inspection, he confirmed the presence of the animal.
After the specimen was discovered, he proceeded to identify the passenger and remove the animal carcass from the suitcase. The authorities then took steps to determine the species seized.
They obtained confirmation that the specimen belonged to the pangolin genus, which is, in all its variants, protected at the highest level.
The passenger did not have any mandatory documents allowing him to possess and transport the protected specimen. As a result, the Fiscal Agency and the Fiscal Guard of the Civil Guard have started the investigation into the corresponding report for alleged crime against protected wildlife.
Once the reporting procedures were completed, the corresponding complaint was filed with the courts of Quart, where the appropriate legal procedure will be followed.
Keratin flakes
The pangolin is considered the most illegally traded mammal on the planet. Despite its status as an endangered species group, its keratin flakesused in traditional medicine in some Asian countries, reach a high value on the illegal market and can exceed the 700 euros per kilo.
Pangolin photography. EE
The simple possession of these animals without the required permits is considered a crime in Spain, in violation of international laws such as the CITES Convention on trade in endangered species, which includes the pangolin among the species classified as vulnerable or in danger of extinction.
The CITES Convention prohibits international trafficking in pangolins, except in exceptional and duly authorized cases such as scientific research, and always with the granting of an import permit and an export permit (or re-export certificate).
According to independent studies, it has been estimated at More than 2.7 million is the number of pangolin specimens hunted in one year in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Republic of Congo.
In 2019, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, seizures of pangolin scales and meat reached a record high of 128 tons worldwide.
