Saving Ogun’s endangered pangolins

International environmental activists have fingered Nigeria as one of the sources of trafficking pangolin. They claim that the animal is going into extinction because the Chinese smuggle them into China. In this report, Daily Trust reporter investigates the chain of pangolin hunting and selling in Ogun State. Safiriyu Bisiriru, in his 60s, was daring in […]

International environmental activists have fingered Nigeria as one of the sources of trafficking pangolin. They claim that the animal is going into extinction because the Chinese smuggle them into China. In this report, Daily Trust reporter investigates the chain of pangolin hunting and selling in Ogun State.

Safiriyu Bisiriru, in his 60s, was daring in his response, when asked if he knew killing of pangolin, an animal classified as “endangered species” was criminal.

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Bisiriyu said, “Yes, it is against the law to kill pangolin, but should hunters die of hunger? What choice do they have?”

Bisiriyu is the Baale of Aba Kurudu, a village around the Omo Forest Reserve in the state. He, like many other locals in the area, would do anything to justify hunting for and killing of pangolin; the quiet and nocturnal animal.

He further said, “I am not a hunter, but I know our people hunt and kill pangolin most times to eat and earn a living. That has been the practice from time immemorial. So, how would people survive if you say they should stop killing it?”

According to findings, pangolin is one of the five animals that are critically endangered in Nigeria. Researchers also say pangolin is the most trafficked animal globally and Nigeria has been fingered as where pangolin scales are smuggled into from neighbouring countries like Benin, Cameroun, Chad and Niger Republic before they are shipped to Asian countries like China, Vietnam, Malaysia, among others.

The UNODC’s World Wildlife Crime Report (2016) stated that: “Whole pangolins in Nigeria can range in price from $7 to $15, while their scales alone would sell for as much as $250 per pangolin in the destination markets.

“Pangolins smuggled to Asia are unlikely to originate from Nigeria as the species is near extinction in the country.”

Pangolins are being hunted for various purposes, including for food, traditional medicine, fashion accessories, and are considered a delicacy in many parts of Asia.

Pangolin in Ogun

Pangolin, locally called aka in Ogun State, is a shy, scaly and harmless non-human mammal. The animal is becoming increasingly well known for one reason: it is believed to be the world’s most trafficked non-human mammal.

In Ogun, findings by Daily Trust revealed that pangolins are hugely found in the Omo Forest Reserve. The animal is a regular meat hunted and eaten in various homes in the state, especially in communities around the forest. Apart from this, the scales are sold to businessmen who come regularly.

In Abeokuta and other major towns in the state, not many people know or have come in contact with pangolin. However, virtually anybody above a toddler recognises pangolin in the remote areas owing to its availability and accessibility.

Our correspondent visited J4, Aba Kurudu, Baoku, Olooji, Abeku, Oloronbo and Ijebu-Imusin, Kajola, all villages and communities in Ijebu North, Ijebu East and Ijebu North East local government areas, where pangolins are commonly found.

In the communities, pangolin is the everyday meat and is available at local restaurants. A piece of pangolin meat was sold for N250 at a restaurant visited by our correspondent in J4 community.

Idowu Ogunyemi (27) has been hunting for 13 years. He told Daily Trust that the animal could be found in large numbers in the Omo Forest Reserve and other neighbouring forests where he hunted.

POgunyemi said, “It’s as if God created and dumped them here. It’s very huge here. If I set out for pangolin, I can kill about 12 in a day. It’s a harmless animal. At imes you don’t need to shoot it, you pick it alive. You can only shoot it if it is far or on a tree.

Ogunyemi, however, said, “I don’t like the smell. I only kill them based on request. The only person I kill pangolin for is my mother because she sells food.”

A 55-year-old hunter, Adejayan Oladejo, told Daily Trust that, “Pangolin is an animal that does not give us stress. When we go to farm or to hunt , we see pangolin as bush allowance. We don’t shoot at pangolin, we just catch it even if it goes up the tree, you will sit under the tree and it will come back to you. We see it just the way we pick up snail in the forest; no trouble at all.”

When asked how many pangolins he has killed, Oladejo said,  “I have killed up to 100 pangolins.”

Hunters defy laws banning killing and hunting of pangolin 

Hunters, for decades have killed the animal despite international and local laws banning the practice.

For instance, the Wildlife Preservation Law of Ogun State 2016, in its First Schedule, prohibits the killing, hunting and capturing of pangolin and 47 other animals and birds. The law only allows for killing of animals “in self defence”.

Section 4: Animals not to be hunted without special licence

1. No person shall hunt, kill or capture:

(a)   any of the animals or birds mentioned in the First Schedule;

(b) any of the animals mentioned in the First and Second Schedules if the animal be (a) immature or (b) a female accompanied by her young; or

(c) any female antelope,

unless he is authorised by a special licence or other authority under this law.

2. Any person contravening the provisions of this section shall be liable to a fine of N50,000 or, if the offence relates to more animals than two, a fine of N25,000 in respect of each animal or in default, in either case, imprisonment for six months:

Provided that in the case of an offence under paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of this section if the offender shall satisfy the court that he committed the offence unintentionally, he shall be liable to a fine of N500 for a first offence and of N2,000 for any subsequent offence.

Why we kill, hunt and sell pangolin – Hunters

In separate interviews with Daily Trust, hunters explained that they killed pangolin to eat and sell. They described its meat as “delicious”.

“Pangolin meat is sweet and very good,” Ogunwole Gbenga, who said he has been hunting for 30 years, noted.

They equally justified killing of the animal despite the prohibiting laws.

“Whoever says an elder shouldn’t farm must be ready to provide food. The government said we should stop hunting pangolins that we use for our food, what provisions are they making as alternative?

“They (government) are only selfish. People that have no other way, what do you expect them to do?” Gbenga asked.

Continuing, he said, “There are lots of animals to hunt, but it is easier to hunt pangolins. The government should assist people even on their farms. Hunting isn’t easy; we are just finding means to survive.”

Oladejo corroborated Gbenga’s views, saying,  “The government said we shouldn’t kill pangolin, but people will kill it because they have to eat. There is no way the government is monitoring that. If I kill because I want to eat, I will do it discreetly and no one will know.”

Findings by our correspondent revealed the Chinese are the beneficiaries of the sale of pangolins, especially the scales.

A pangolin goes for N4,000 and N7,000, depending on its size, the hunters told Daily Trust.

The hunters told our correspondent that the Chinese used middlemen who regularly visited the remote areas and bought the scales on their behalf.

“No Chinese will come to this bush and buy pangolin or the scales. They send middlemen or women who come here and buy on their behalf,” Ogunyemi explained.

Oladejo further said, “The Chinese have not been here to buy, but I know they are in Nigeria. We have people from Epe and Ijebu coming to buy. It is the Chinese that have made pangolin to be expensive. If it has been killed, you sell at N3,000, but if it is alive, you sell at between N5,000 and N7,000.

Madam Gladys Oko, an indigene of Abia State, told Daily Trust at J4 community that she sold pangolin scales to merchants who in turn sold them in Lagos for onward exporting.

She said, “I sell pangolin when I see it. If I see a dead pangolin, I remove the scales to sell, the live one I sell that way. People buy at the Orita Market, it sells for N3,000, N4,000, N3,500; it depends.

“For the scale, it is expensive and is based on measurement. Our people buy from us and take abroad, but they have stopped buying since it was seized (at the port).”

From J4 to Baoku and Aba Kurudu communities, our correspondent only sighted a live pangolin caged and awaiting its buyer, signaling that the animal is going into

The hunters confirmed that animal populations had reduced in the forest unlike what was obtainable in the past.

The leader of hunters in J4, Oduntan Onafijabi, said pangolins were now scarce and explained that the animal had reduced “not because of killing” but because of farming activities that had taken over the forest reserves.

“Pangolins used to be much here, but when our farmers used up all our reserves to plant cocoa, we know longer see them. We used to see pangolin on the road at night, but now you will work up to 10km before you will see one,” he explained.

Last year, former President Olusegun Obasanjo while addressing members of the Pangolin Conservation Guild of Nigeria (PCWGN) in Abeokuta, expressed shock that pangolin “is going into extinction as a result of human activities.”

The PCWGN is a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) for the protection and preservation of pangolins in Nigeria.

Obasanjo, an ambassador of the association, said, “I was shocked to find out that it is now becoming difficult to get pangolin. When I was growing up in the village, pangolins were everywhere. I asked what we could do to preserve them and they told me that they (pangolins) do not survive in captivity, and I said I don’t believe that that is right.

“Pangolin just happens to be one of other endangered animals, there are a number of others, both vegetation and animals that are disappearing fast and we should stop their disappearance because the more they disappear, the more incomplete our own life and living are.”

China, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Singapore are beneficiaries

A new survey report by the WildAid on widespread bushmeat consumption in Nigeria in January indicated that China, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Singapore are the greatest beneficiaries of the pangolin products smuggled out of Nigeria.

WildAid is a non-profit organisation with a mission to end illegal wildlife trade. It works primarily to reduce global consumption of wildlife products such as elephant ivory, pangolin scales, rhino horn and shark fin.

The report revealed the chain of pangolin scales trade from local hunters, bushmeat sellers and Chinese middlemen and eventual smuggling out of the country.

The report particularly indicated that the high consumption of bushmeat in Nigeria is aiding illegal wildlife trade despite existing laws prohibiting such.

According to the report, 71 per cent of those surveyed in major cities of Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Calabar had consumed bushmeat at some point in their lives and 45 per cent had consumed it within the last one year.

The report noted that the consumption of bushmeat only declined during the Ebola outbreak, but increased again “after publicity died down.”

Stating its finding on pangoling, the report said, “With pangolins considered the world’s most trafficked mammal, bushmeat traders say they receive live pangolin from hunters in neighbouring towns and villages which lie close to forest habitats. In most cases, the hunters sell directly to market traders who then display them in the market for onward purchase from individuals and Chinese expatriates. While the meat is consumed locally, bushmeat traders often work together to consolidate scales from their sales into large quantities and sell to mostly Chinese expatriates, who then export the scales illegally to China, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Singapore.

“In some cases, Chinese middlemen also visit rural communities to purchase directly from agents or intermediaries who aggregate supplies from hunters.

“Bushmeat market traders say scales originating from Cameroon, Gabon, Central Africa Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo are also brought to Nigeria which are then added to whatever is sourced locally before exporting overseas. Though pangolins account for just two per cent of species consumed by those surveyed, Nigeria is in fact considered to be one of the largest markets for pangolin meat, demonstrating the outsize impact that even low levels of consumption can have on protected species.”

Our battle against pangolin smuggling – Regulatory agencies

The Coordinator of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) in Ogun State, Aliu Adekunle, told Daily Trust that the state office was just created last year and as such he could not say much on the NESREA activities regarding pangolin.

He, however, said the regulatory agency had regulations protecting the endangered species, including pangolin, but expressed concern on lack of implementation.

“The only thing I can say is that the agency had developed a regulation regarding endangered species. But where the problem lies is the implementation,” he told Daily Trust.

Adekunle referred our correspondent to NESREA Lagos liaison office which jurisdiction covers Ogun State. When our correspondent contacted the liasion office, its Director, Dr Otitoligbon, said, “All correspondences should be directed to the national headquarters in Abuja.”

However, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operating Unit (FOU), Ikeja, told Daily Trust how it had assisted in tackling smuggling of pangolin scale out of the country.

The spokesman of the FUO, Peter Duniya, told our correspondent that in the last one year the FUO had seized 9,504.1kg of pangolin scales valued at N10. 264bn.

Duniya explained that pangolin scales were being smuggled out of the country through concealment, but that the customs operatives had always busted the deals through intelligence reports.

“Because they are endangered species, we have laws protecting them from going into extinction. By virtue of those laws, they are prohibited.

“To detect the smuggling requires intelligence. Most times, we rely on intelligence gathering.

“Anything that is smuggled normally comes through concealment. They conceal them alongside other goods that could be legitimately exported. So, they try to conceal them in between those goods,” he told Daily Trust.

Ogun plans stringent measures, says forestry commissioner

The Ogun Commissioner for Forestry, Tunji Akinosi, told Daily Trust that government was currently reviewing the 2006 law banning hunting and killing of pangolin and other endangered species. This, he said, required stringent measures and penalties to deter those indulging in the unlawful practice.

“This law has, however, been reviewed by the ministry and passed by the 8th legislature, but could not be assented to by the immediate past governor.   The   process   of   passing   the   reviewed   law   by   the   9th legislature and assented to by the governor has however commenced.

“Apart from putting stringent measures and penalties in the reviewed law to deter poaching on elephants, as well as pangolin and other endangered   animal   species,   the   government   has   commenced   the process of establishing wildlife sanctuary at Itasin Forest where some of the elephants from Omo Forest Reserve migrated to,” he said.

‘Poverty, weak laws, lack of implementation fuel practice’

The General Manager of the Wildlife Park at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, Ajayi Oluwadamilare blamed poverty, weak laws and lack of implementation and commitment on the part of the government as some factors fuelling the practice.

“The major challenge we have is that Chinese people will come and give N10,000 to some people and then they smuggle it out.

“From our findings, one pangolin can go for as much as N12,000; N14,000 and  N15,000, depending on the size. Chinese people can afford to give you up to that, because they will sell it for as much as $100,” Oluwadamilare lamented.

He added that, “Another challenge is the middlemen. Those are the ones who collect from the farmers and sell; because that is their source of livelihood. They collect from different sources. The Chinese will not go to the hunters; they go to the women who act as middlemen.

“The problem is enforcement. The laws are there, but who is going to enforce it? Is it the policemen who have not heard of pangolin before or the judge who is hearing it for the first time? They are going to just look at it and say there are serious cases on ground. Until we have a section that will be dedicated to arresting, maybe from the federal government.”

Way out – Experts

The Chairman of PCWGN, Prof Olajumoke Morenikeji, told Daily Trust that they had rescued several pangolins from Ogun State, rehabilitated them and returned them to the perfect forest area where they could live.

Prof Olajumoke said there were plans to create alternative sources for those who hunted pangolin to earn a living.

She further said, “In Ogun State alone, we have rescued close to 10 since the time we started working. What we do is to rescue them anywhere we can find them. We have rescued in Lagos and Osun states, everywhere; even in Imo State. It depends on where we see pangolin.

“We have done quite a lot of research on pangolin. We now have Pangolin Conservation and Reserve Centre where we can take care of the pangolin and make sure that they cause no harm after rescue.

“We are not relenting in our effort, some hunters now understand what we are saying, we call them born again hunters. Some of them are now preaching to others to leave the animals because they are not many again, but because of the poverty level in the country, it is quite difficult for some people to stop since they have no alternative. We are looking at providing alternatives for the hunters and bushmeat sellers. It is a hydra-headed problem; we are trying to look at several means of attacking it.”

On its part, WildAid in the report recommends improved enforcement of wildlife laws with a specialised and well-resourced multi-agency unit, as well as strengthening of anti-corruption effort to tackle wildlife crimes.

“Strengthening anti-corruption effort and improving accountability and transparency mechanism among agencies fighting wildlife trafficking will also help protect wildlife. Recently, the US State Department elevated the status of Nigeria from a “Focus Country” to a “Country of Concern” on illegal trade, citing “serious concerns” about rampant corruption,” the WildAid report said.

This report was sponsored by Daily Trust Foundation with support from the MacArthur Foundation.