China seizes 956 smuggled pangolin carcasses  

廣東珠海邊防查獲近千只走私穿山甲凍體 重約4噸

12日凌晨，廣東珠海邊防支隊橫琴大隊掌握一條線索，稱有不法分子準備通過陸路走私冷凍野生動物。當天6時許，辦案人員確定目標車輛的行駛路徑，并在其必經的3個路口設卡堵截，準備實施抓捕。[查看全文]

Border police in south China's Guangdong province have seized hundreds of dead pangolins while busting a wildlife trafficking case, local authorities said on Tuesday.

The police found 956 pangolin carcasses weighing a total of nearly four tonnes hidden in 189 cool boxes on Monday.

They were acting on a tip-off that that some people had been smuggling endangered animals. They identified a trafficker's driving path, stopped the suspect vehicle and arrested the driver on the spot.

"This is one of the biggest pangolin trafficking cases in China," a border policeman said. The case in still under investigation.

Pangolins, which are under second-class state protection in China, are often smuggled because their meat is considered a delicacy and their scales are believed to have medical qualities.

Under China's criminal law, those who illegally catch, kill, buy or sell endangered wild animals on the state's key protection list could face more than 10 years in jail and fines.