China seizes 956 smuggled pangolin carcasses  

广东珠海边防查获近千只走私穿山甲冻体 重约4吨

12日凌晨，广东珠海边防支队横琴大队掌握一条线索，称有不法分子准备通过陆路走私冷冻野生动物。当天6时许，办案人员确定目标车辆的行驶路径，并在其必经的3个路口设卡堵截，准备实施抓捕。[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.