The animal, scientific name Manis javanica, is also known as the Scaly Anteater. It has been the most frequently seized mammal in Asia’s illegal wildlife trade.
Sarawak Forestry Corporation Sdn Bhd chief executive Zolkipli Mohamad Aton, who said the shy and quiet animal is his favourite, said the corporation would conduct a study to find out its current population, before submitting a proposal to the government to upgrade its category.
Totally protected species may not be kept as pets, hunted, captured, killed, sold, imported or exported or disturbed in any way, nor any recognisable part of these animals be kept in possession by anyone.
Among the animals in the category include the Proboscis Monkey, the Bornean Gibbon, Rhinoceros, Naked Bat, Dugong and all marine turtles.
“For now, on our job list, we want to review our Wildlife Masterplan, after that the relevant laws, but if there are indicators by outsiders, if they say, look you must do it, if not they (species) will be go extinct, then we have to put it as priority,” he said.
Sarawak still had quite a number of pangolin, but the numbers were declining in other states.
“So these smugglers now want to come over here (Sarawak). We have been warned by other people, better look after your pangolins,” he said.
He said the animal, being a rare and hardly seen species, had numerous myths surrounded it, especially to the traditional medicine practitioners, which contributed to the demand, among others, of its scales covering its entire upper parts.
“They said it has medicinal value, but I can quote an article by the World Conservation Society that says that pangolins nails are made of keratin, which is the same material as human fingernails, so in reality there is no medicinal value there, but because of traditions, people tend to go for these things.
“There are some who like its meat, but pangolin meat is not even fleshy,” he said.
Zolkipli said the company would also review wildlife-related laws to raise the penalties on offenders.
Earlier this year wildlife activist Kanitha Krishnasamy said the maximum fine under state law was RM250,000 but in a recent seizure of smuggled pangolin, authorities valued the seized items at RM8.4 million.
The pangolin has a prehensile tail and lacks teeth. It normally eats ants and termites taken from nests in trees, on the ground or below ground with insect nests opened with their strongly clawed feet and the contents licked up with the long, sticky tongue.
Usually nocturnal, sleeping during the daytime in underground burrows, it is mostly seen on roads at night, where it is slow-moving and conspicuous, although the eyes reflect very little light.