Illegal pangolin traders arrested in Central Highlands province

ĐẮK NÔNG — Three men involved in the illegal trading of pangolins, a critically endangered species, have been arrested in the Tuy Đức District of Việt Nam’s Central Highlands province of Đắk Nông. The men, identified as Điểu Poi (19), Điểu Nhơn (39), and Điểu Duy (19), were working as contract workers at Bù Gia Mập National Park in the southern province of Bình Phước. The pangolin was later identified as the Java pangolin (scientific name Manis javanica), a species listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. All three men were working at the forest management and protection office at Bù Gia Mập National Park and were residing in Bù Gia Mập District. The pangolin is highly sought after for its scales and meat, which are used in traditional medicine and as a delicacy.