Fight Against Poaching: Three Arrested After Being Found In Possession Of A Pangolin

KWALE, Kenya, Aug, 24 – Detectives based at the Serious Crimes Unit of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Tuesday arrested three suspects in Kinango, Kwale County after they were found in possession of endangered Pangolin.

The three suspects 30-year-old Pas Mwiti, Kabwere Tembe, 26-year-old, and 22-year-old Salim Ndura were arrested following a tip-off from members of the public.

The security officers had acted as potential buyers of the world’s most endangered mammal, to lure the three into their trap. When they noticed their plan was not going as planned, the three tried to free the animal, but the officers caught up with them as they tried to escape.

The suspects were ferried from Kware to DCI Headquarters in Nairobi for interrogation to ascertain who could be behind the illegal trade. 

The endangered animal was handed over to Kenya Wildlife Service personnel at the Nairobi Animal Orphanage where it is being taken care of, as the suspects are being processed for prosecution.

Pangolins fetch up to 400,000$ in the black market, making them the most trafficked mammal in the world.

There are three species of pangolins in Kenya: ground pangolins are found in open bushland, tree pangolins are found in Kakamega and Loita Hills, and the giant pangolin is found in the Lake Victoria Region.

According to Pangolins.org, there are about 50,000 pangolins still in existence across the globe. There are no records of how many pangolins exist in Kenya.

There are four pangolin species that live in Africa: White Bellied Tree Pangolin (also called AThree-Cusped Pangolin, African White-Bellied Pangolin, and Tree Pangolin), Phataginus tricuspisGiant Ground Pangolin, Smutsia gigantean Ground Pangolin (also called Cape Pangolin and Temminck’s Pangolin), Smutsia temminckiiBlack Bellied Tree Pangolin (also called Long-Tailed Pangolin and Black-Bellied Pangolin), Phataginus tetradactyla

All eight species of pangolin are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the highest level of international law.

Pangolins are highly trafficked and poached for their meat and scales – for traditional medicines in Asia, primarily in China and Vietnam – there has been a dramatic decrease in pangolin populations over the last 15 years.

The arrest of the three shows Kenya’s commitment to the protection of endangered wildlife species.