Pangolin

The South Sudan Wild life Authority has urged Uganda police to return two pangolins that were smuggled into the country from Nimule National Park early this week.

On Sunday, a South Sudanese police officer and two others were arrested over illegal possession of two pangolins at the Elegu border post.

John Chol Malou, aged 42, a police officer attached to Immigration department at Nimule border post, was arrested with Denis Ochan, 38, and another unnamed individual.

The men reportedly used silver Mark 2 with a registration SSJ 330 B to smuggle the pangolins.

“I told them to return the animals immediately,” said 2^nd Lt. Juma Akwach, chief of Crime Unit at Nimule National Park.

“If they fail to return the animals, then we will engage our minister of wildlife to meet his Ugandan counterpart so that the pangolins are returned.”

There are eight species still in existence found in India, China, south-east Asia and parts of Africa.

Pangolins are often highly hunted because of their skin, scales, meat, and some of their body parts that are used in making traditional medicine.

Conservationists are battling to save the pangolins, the most illegally traded animal in the world, before it is “eaten to extinction”.