A record of eight tonnes of pangolin scales has been seized by officials in Hong Kong in a container from Nigeria.
Customs officers said they seized eight thousand 300 kilogrammes of pangolin scales and two thousand one hundred kilogrammes of ivory tusks hidden inside a container declared to be carrying frozen beef.
Officials estimated the value of the haul at eight million dollars.
Pangolins are sought after for the unproven medicinal properties of their scales – which are made from nothing more than keratin, the same material that makes up human fingernails and hair.
