Pangolin, one of the animals illegally trafficked in Nigeria International Airports and Lagos Sea port
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime UNODC, has emphasized the threat that wildlife trafficking poses to nature and the biodiversity of the planet.
According to the agency in a World Wildlife Crime Report launched virtually on Sunday, the trafficking of some wild species namely, pangolins, birds, turtles, tigers, bears impacts the world negatively.
It said, in part, “ When wild animals are poached from their natural habitat, butchered and sold illegally, the potential for transmission of zoonotic diseases – those caused by pathogens that spread from animals to humans – is increased.
The report noted that pangolins, which were identified as a potential source of coronaviruses, are the most trafficked wild mammals in the world, with seizures of pangolin scales having increased tenfold between 2014 and 2018.
Noting that illegal pangolin trade in Nigeria seems to have grown significantly in recent years, it identified the nation’s international airports and Lagos port as point of transit and logistics for the illegal traffic for the animal.
It said: “ The country was the reported provenance of at least 51 tons of pangolin scales seized in 2019 (compared to 2 tons in 2015). Nigeria is the primary point of export of pangolin shipments as close to 60 per cent of global pangolin scale seizures could be traced back to Nigeria as the source of shipping. Out of 11 notable seizures made in 2019 and mentioned in the report, 7 had Nigeria as reported origin country.”
