Govt determining if seized pangolins are endemic to Palawan

(Updated 9:50 p.m.) The government is looking into whether the dead pangolins (scaly anteaters) that were found on the Chinese vessel M/V Min Long Yu that ran aground in Tubbataha Reef last week belong to a native species endemic to Palawan. “Binibilang natin ‘yung row ng scales kasi isa ‘yun sa mga differentiation nung species,” said wildlife officer Glenda Cadigal of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) in a report on GMA News' “24 Oras” Thursday. The scales will be among the first things that operatives of the Philippine Coast Guard will look for when they board the ship once it is removed form the reef. "PCG commandant Rear Admiral Rodolfo Isorena has instructed us to fully search Chinese ship for anteater scales as this will help investigators in determining where all these frozen anteaters came from," Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Armand Balilo said, according to a report by state-run Philippines News Agency. “We will also collect tissue samples na pwedeng gawan ng DNA analysis,” Cadigal said. But whatever the results of the test, mere possession of the threatened species is basis for criminal charges, regardless of where the pangolins were obtained, Palawan government environment officer Adelina Villena told Agence France-Presse. Chinese market for pangolin meat, scales The local government of Palawan has banned the hunt and trade of pangolins due to “threats” to its population, the television report said. The animal's meat, a delicacy in China, reportedly amounts to $114 per kilo and is believed to be an aphrodisiac and good for breastfeeding mothers. Pangolin scales, meanwhile, are powdered and sold as medicines for eczema, acne and skin allergies. The anteater, which is covered of scales made of keratin, is a gentle and harmless creature that eats only ants and termites using its long sticky tongue. It has no teeth and curls up into a ball when threatened. According to PAWB, the Palawan pangolins are a "vulnerable" species. “Vulnerable siya kasi merong chance na eventually magi siyang endangered, pero at this point we don’t have enough information tungkol sa kanyang population. Meron talagang actual threat,” PAWB director Theresa Mundita-Lim said in the report. Lim noted that the beliefs regarding the anteater’s meat and scales are “unsubstantiated.” “Some say na may aphrosidiac property siya, pero again unsubstantiated ito. Siyempre ‘pag hindi dumadaan sa meat inspection, may mga safety standard tayo, so hindi mo alam kung ano 'yung possible nilang i-carry,” she said. “Pwede raw tong pang-cure ng asthma, even some forms of cancer na of course hindi naman validated,” Lim added. — Rouchelle Dinglasan/KBK/BM, GMA News