Hong Kong customs seized five pieces of suspected rhino horn from an express air parcel at the airport on Saturday, in the fourth wildlife smuggling case in three days.
According to a government statement released yesterday, the package came from South African and had been declared as “resin crafts”.
Customs officials’ suspicions were raised when the package was x-rayed, revealing rather poorly concealed rhino horns, which are said to be worth HKD2 million:
The rhino horns concealed as “resin crafts” found in a package on May 14. Photo: Hong Kong Customs
Upon follow-up investigation, a 61-year-old man was arrested on Monday and has been released on bail.
Rhinos are poached in Africa and Asia at alarming rates for their horns, which are used in traditional medicine, particularly in Vietnam.
Three out of the five remaining rhino species are critically endangered, with a fourth listed as threatened.
On the same day as the rhino horn seizure, customs officers arrested a passenger arriving from Egypt after they found 14 kilos of dried seahorses in his check-in baggage.
The 14 kilos of dried seahorse found in a passenger’s luggage on May 14. Photo: Hong Kong Customs
Dried seahorses are used in traditional Chinese medicine, with Hong Kong importing 7,000 tonnes annually.
Just two days earlier, on May 12, customs officials intercepted men loading pangolin products onto speedboats in two separate incidents.
At 2am in Lau Fau Shan that day, customs officials seized 130 kilos of pangolin scales and 310 kilos of animal furs, which may be mink based on their appearance. The haul was worth about HKD2 million in total.
The 310 kilos of animal furs and 130 kilos of pangolin scales seized on May 12. Photo: Hong Kong Customs
Less than 24 hours later, men were spotted loading cargo into a speedboat at Tuen Mun’s Kadoorie Pier and fled when customs officers and marine police tried to intercept them.
The authorities seized 345 kilos of frozen pangolin meat, 16 kilos of pangolin scales and 1,400 mobile phones from the abandoned cargo, with a total estimated worth of HKD1.1 million.
Frozen pangolin meat, pangolin scales and mobile phones seized on May 12. Photo: Hong Kong Customs
Pangolins are the world’s most trafficked mammal, with two out of its eight species listed as being critically endangered.
The animal’s meat is considered a delicacy in some parts of Asia and Africa, while its scales, like seahorses, are used in traditional Chinese medicine.
Under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance, importing an endangered species without a licence can be punishable by a maximum fine of HKD5 million and two years’ imprisonment.
Watch the Coconuts TV documentary about the people working to protect pangolins in Vietnam:
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