Mozambique: Three arrested for attempt to sell a pangolin say they had two, ate one

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Mozambique: Three arrested for attempt to sell a pangolin say they had two, ate one

12:57 CAT | 04 Jul 2025

FILE- Elias Mubobo, a veterinarian at Gorongosa National Park, holds a 10-month-old pangolin named Janeiro in his arms, in Mozambique, November 11, 2022. The animal is one of a total of 73 treated since 2018 at the country's only pangolin rehabilitation centre, committed to protecting the species, which is the target of trafficking and at risk of extinction. [File photo: Lusa]

The detainees were attempting to sell the pangolin for 30,000 meticais (€400). It is estimated that around 50,000 pangolins are slaughtered in Mozambique every year.

The National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) announced this Thursday the arrest of three individuals in Zambézia province, central Mozambique, for attempting to sell a pangolin, an animal that is on the list of endangered species.

According to Zambézia SERNIC spokesman Maximino Amílcar, the three detainees – two brothers and the third a middleman – intended to sell the pangolin for 30,000 meticais (€400).

“We need to spread the word that there are species that are not legally authorized to be sold, and we have an institution called ANAC [National Administration of Conservation Areas] that looks after these animals after they are seized and we hand them over for their care,” Amílcar told reporters.

The officer said that these are “frequent cases” and that the corporation has been raising awareness among the population to refrain from these practices.

The detainees told SERNIC that they had two pangolins, which they had had bought them for 150 meticais (€2.00) and 600 meticais (€8.00) respectively, and had eaten one of them.

The pangolin has the distinction of being the only terrestrial mammal completely covered in scales.

Mozambique has a biodiversity conservation law in force with penalties of up to 16 years in prison and various fines for masterminds, hunters, traffickers, and others involved in the illegal trade of wildlife products.

According to data released by ANAC in 2021, in the southern African region it is estimated that around 50,000 pangolins are slaughtered each year for illegal trade, surpassing ivory and rhino horn.

Between 2009 and 2019, around one million pangolins were trafficked to the Asian black market, according to data from the United Nations World Environment Programme.

Source: Lusa