Pinoy jailed for smuggling 5,000 kg meat of endangered anteater

A Filipino was slapped a three-year jail term in Malaysia after pleading guilty to smuggling nearly 4,988 kilos of meat of the endangered "pangolin" (scaly anteater)  worth more than RM700,000 (P9.819 million) in Sandakan last December. The suspect, Aivon Vencer, 20, admitted trying to bring out 1,068 frozen pangolins weighing almost 5,000 kilos last December 7, Malaysia's news site "The Star" reported on Friday. According to the "Save Pangolins" website, these animals are called “scaly anteaters” because they are covered in tough, overlapping scales. Pangolins are burrowing mammals that eat ants and termites using an extraordinarily long, sticky tongue. They roll themselves up into a tight ball when threatened. Poaching for illegal wildlife trade and habitat loss have made pangolins one of the most endangered groups of mammals in the world. The report said it was the biggest seizure of pangoling meat in the international market. Customs officers intercepted Vencer operating a boat at the waters off Tanjung Buli Luku in Sandakan. The officers engaged Vencer in a brief high-speed chase before the accused crashed his vessel onto the shore. Authorities said the pangolin meat might have been bound for Taganak Island in the Philippines. - VVP, GMA News