{"id":70953,"date":"2021-07-05T12:40:26","date_gmt":"2021-07-05T12:40:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chinadialogue.net\/?post_type=photo_story&p=70953"},"modified":"2023-04-20T11:44:05","modified_gmt":"2023-04-20T11:44:05","slug":"liberias-antsbear-hunters-the-base-of-the-pangolin-scale-supply-chain","status":"publish","type":"photo_story","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/liberias-antsbear-hunters-the-base-of-the-pangolin-scale-supply-chain\/","title":{"rendered":"Liberia\u2019s \u2018antsbear\u2019 hunters, the base of the pangolin scale supply chain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In rural Rivercess county, central Liberia, sacks of pangolin scales can be procured from villages within minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are sorted by type: the larger, reddish armour of the black-bellied pangolin, and the flimsier, pearly variety of its white-bellied cousin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between single-storey houses surrounded by forest, handfuls of scales are laid out on empty rice sacks to dry. They are sold by the families of hunters to neighbours serving as aggregators for roving traders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeremiah (alias), a 52-year-old pastor, supplements his income from the church by working as one such agent for a buyer based in Liberia\u2019s northern border city of Ganta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There are few ways for local people to make a living in this remote area of Liberia (Image: Lucinda Rouse \/ China Dialogue)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Jeremiah collects pangolin scales from local hunters and sells them on to roving traders to supplement his pastor\u2019s income (Image: Lucinda Rouse \/ China Dialogue)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe buyers first came in 2018,\u201d he recalls, sitting on the porch of his home, with a well-thumbed bible on a rickety table at his side and a small stock of household products laid out for sale on the ground. \u201cWe didn\u2019t know anything about it, but they said if I could get enough, they would buy them from me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The buyers were soon passing weekly to collect the scales, telling Jeremiah they would be taken to neighbouring Ivory Coast for onward sale. But he is unsure of the reasons behind the burgeoning demand for a product which, up until recently, had been considered by most Rivercess inhabitants to be devoid of function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI asked what they really do with the scales and they told me they send them to Europe and America,\u201d he recounts. \u201cThey said people can modify them and put them on their houses in an African design.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Much of the rainforest around the villages of Rivercess is still intact. Liberia contains over 40% of the remaining Upper Guinean Forest, which spans nine West African countries. It is home to a wide range of endangered and vulnerable species, including forest elephants, pygmy hippos and the western chimpanzee. (Image: Lucinda Rouse \/ China Dialogue)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In reality, Jeremiah is one rung off the bottom of an extensive pangolin supply ladder involving transnational criminal groups that culminates in Asia. Stretching across West and Central Africa, supply routes converge mainly in Nigeria and Cameroon<\/a>, where the scales leave the continent destined for key markets such as China, Vietnam and Lao PDR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite being banned in 2016 by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the international commercial trade in pangolins is increasing. West and Central Africa have become key source areas for pangolin scales as populations of related species in Asia, where they are used in traditional medicine, have plummeted. Estimates<\/a> place the number of pangolins removed from this part of Africa since 2009 at over 8.5 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with the black- and white-bellied species, Liberia is also home to the giant pangolin, which is rarely spotted in the country today. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified the back-bellied pangolin as vulnerable; the other two are endangered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeremiah receives credit from his buyer to make his purchases. He sells the white scales for 2,000 Liberian dollars (US$11.50) per kilo, while the red ones fetch 3,000 ($17.50). His mark-up is substantial: he pays the hunters who supply him a tenth of this amount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s how I managed to build this house,\u201d he shrugs, gesturing to the bare plastered walls and corrugated iron roof. And despite facing competition from other agents in the village, he\u2019s not short on supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Local hunter Samuel and his family outside their small home. The animals Samuel brings back from his excursions into the forest help pay for his children\u2019s school fees. (Image: Lucinda Rouse \/ China Dialogue)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Samuel and his youngest child. The mud walls are covered with posters of Didier Drogba, Alicia Keys and Snoop Dogg. (Image: Lucinda Rouse \/ China Dialogue)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In a neighbouring town, Samuel\u2019s (alias) house is roofed with local thatch and the mud walls are cracked and crumbling. Living with his wife, their six children and his mother in three cramped rooms, their home appears to be bursting at the seams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sitting side by side on a bench outside a small shop selling liquor, Samuel\u2019s friends proudly declare that he is the town\u2019s most proficient hunter. Perched on the end as they pass around and refill a small glass with clear liquid, the 37-year-old is quiet and unassuming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a gun slung over one shoulder and a makeshift bag looped across his body, he walks deep into the forest for days at a time to hunt and lay snares, operating mainly at night. From monkey to crocodile, no species is off limits, with most destined for cooking pots in the local area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe red deer [bushbuck] brings the most money,\u201d he says softly. \u201cSometimes when I kill one I get 10,000 dollars [US$58]. Then my children are set for their school fees.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Samuel and his friend prepare for a hunt (Image: Lucinda Rouse \/ China Dialogue)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Samuel\u2019s wiry build enables him to move swiftly and tread lightly. He walks carefully and hesitantly, observing animal tracks through the dense foliage, finely attuned to the forest\u2019s movements and sounds. He has laid some 50 thin wire traps along an extensive network of animal pathways. Barely visible, they are looped according to the neck size and height of their intended captives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He stoops to inspect a snare that has been released but with no animal in sight. \u201cThe antsbear got away,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019re strong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earning this nickname through their unvaried diet of ants and termites, pangolins raise little revenue for hunters. But they are highly sought-after nonetheless due to an insatiable local appetite for their meat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI might catch two or three antsbear in a month,\u201d says Samuel. \u201cI catch them to eat because the meat is sweet. I don\u2019t sell it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A proficient hunter, Samuel moves swiftly and quietly through the forest (Image: Lucinda Rouse \/ China Dialogue)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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One of 50 wire snares Samuel has set along animal pathways (Image: Lucinda Rouse \/ China Dialogue)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The high local demand for pangolin meat means buyers of their scales \u2013 which were previously considered a worthless byproduct by hunters and consumers \u2013 have a reliable ongoing supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPangolins have always been important as a bushmeat resource in Africa, meaning scales are easy to come by,\u201d says Matthew Shirley, a conservation scientist and member of the IUCN\u2019s pangolin specialist group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conversely, Shirley continues, this is likely to be a key reason why the region does not supply large quantities of pangolin meat to Asia, despite a high demand there as well: \u201cThere is huge competition with the African market. There has not been a major interception of pangolin carcasses or meat in West Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nonetheless, consumers in Rivercess have proven willing to change their cooking practices to accommodate the new trade in scales in exchange for the little money they receive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Samuel and his fellow hunters return home victorious with a black-bellied pangolin, plucked unsuspecting from a tree (Image: Lucinda Rouse \/ China Dialogue)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Pangolins curl up to defend themselves. While effective against the sharp teeth of predators like the leopard, this makes them easy prey for human hunters. (Image: Lucinda Rouse \/ China Dialogue)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe used to burn [roast] it on the fire, but since people came to buy the shell [scales], we started boiling it in hot water,\u201d explains Samuel. \u201cWhen the water boils you put the antsbear inside and when it dies you can remove the shell easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI keep it and sometimes we can sell it for 200 dollars [US$1.20] for the kilo,\u201d he continues. An average-sized black- or white-bellied pangolin equates to 200-300g of scales. \u201cI use the small money to buy my salt and Vita [stock cubes].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in the past year, the trade appears to have been put on hold. The buyers stopped coming after the spread of the coronavirus prompted travel bans across West Africa from March 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDue to the pandemic we have not seen them,\u201d says Jeremiah. \u201cWe are in communication, but they say things are hard because of the sickness and they are not able to travel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Instead of roasting the pangolins he catches, Samuel now boils them first, making it easy to remove the scales (Image: Lucinda Rouse \/ China Dialogue)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, the number of live pangolins intercepted by the authorities and received by the Libassa Wildlife Sanctuary near Liberia\u2019s capital \u2013 the only sanctuary in the sub-region that accepts any confiscated animal \u2013 dipped to four in 2020, down from a yearly average of 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Liberia\u2019s lockdown has long since been lifted and goods can easily cross the porous borders with neighbouring countries, the buyers have still not returned to Jeremiah\u2019s district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is little public information on the extent of Liberia\u2019s involvement in the transnational pangolin scale trade. The most recent confiscation occurred in March 2020, when 400kg of scales were seized from a taxi at a checkpoint on the road to Ganta and the Guinean border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pangolins are traditionally hunted in Rivercess for their meat, ensuring a ready supply of scales for traders (Image: Lucinda Rouse \/ China Dialogue)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

However, research by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), a UK-based NGO, suggests the continuing dormancy of the trade in Rivercess is inconsistent with broader regional trends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a report<\/a> published in December 2020 that traces the routes of pangolin scales from source countries to the region\u2019s main export point in Nigeria, the EIA states that sourcing routes \u201chave continued to be used during the pandemic, albeit with some disruptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese routes continue to be used to source large volumes of ivory and pangolin scales, most likely to stockpile the goods in anticipation of increased buyer-interest when the pandemic subsides,\u201d the report continues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile traffickers have inevitably found it more difficult to export goods from Africa to Asia via air, sea routes have remained active with containers of pangolin scales and ivory leaving Nigeria\u2026 to destinations in South-East Asia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Samuel dries pangolin scales outside his home (Image: Lucinda Rouse \/ China Dialogue)\u00a0<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Liberian law enforcement is unlikely to be a contributing factor in the halt to Jeremiah\u2019s trade. There have only been two seizures of scales in recent years, according to statistics supplied to China Dialogue by the Forestry Development Authority (FDA), which is responsible for the sustainable management of Liberia\u2019s forest resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is in spite of a new law passed in November 2016 that made it illegal to catch, kill, eat, keep, sell or transport protected wildlife, including all three pangolin species. According to the law, killing a protected animal can incur a fine of up to US$5,000 or a six-month prison sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wildlife law also stipulates that hunters must obtain a permit or licence in order to operate, with a penalty of up to US$500 or a year in prison for those who fail to comply. But there is no licensing system in place, and subsistence hunting is officially tolerated providing it does not occur in a designated protected area or involve protected species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a statement from the FDA, a regulation to introduce a licensing system \u201cis being written and will be finalised soon\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bushmeat, such as this bushbuck, is an important source of protein in landlocked parts of Liberia (Image: Lucinda Rouse \/ China Dialogue)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Subsistence hunting is tolerated in rural areas, where there is little enforcement of laws protecting endangered species like the pangolins (Image: Lucinda Rouse \/ China Dialogue)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Samuel has never held a licence in almost 25 years of hunting. And he claims to be unaware of the illegality of hunting antsbears and other protected species, such as Campbell\u2019s monkeys and zebra duikers, the carcases of which can be seen smoking gently over wood fires outside his neighbours\u2019 homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo hunters have a licence here,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019re living in the village. If the government doesn\u2019t come to license us we will never get it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another hunter who, unlike Samuel, takes dried meat to sell in the nearest city when he has a surplus, describes his encounters with law enforcers at checkpoints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re travelling with certain meat they can say you\u2019re not supposed to kill it,\u201d he says. \u201cThey will arrest the meat but they will not arrest you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can talk to them, say we killed it to earn a living because we don\u2019t have work to do,\u201d he continues. \u201cAnd they will say give us some and they\u2019ll give the rest back. Once you\u2019ve gone they will eat it or give it to their girlfriends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jeremiah can sell scales like these for 2,000 Liberian dollars (US$11.50) per kilo (Image: Lucinda Rouse \/ China Dialogue)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Jeremiah also professes ignorance of the illegality of the pangolin scale trade. \u201cNobody has told me that it\u2019s a protected species,\u201d he says. \u201cIt could be so, but this country is a country of law and if the government said so, they would have come to give us that information. But nobody has come here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A written statement to China Dialogue from the FDA\u2019s Department of Forest Conservation identified the main challenges to curbing wildlife trafficking in Liberia as: \u201cinterference in law enforcement and prosecution by politicians, influential people in society and local authorities; inadequate or absence of staff at checkpoints and borders to control [the] illegal wildlife trade; inadequate funding; porous borders; [and] absence [of] or inadequate alternative livelihoods for forest dependent communities\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aside from hunting, Samuel works alongside his wife on their farm, growing cassava, plantain, peppers and pineapples. When times get especially tough, he goes to the nearby small-scale gold mine and spends long days in a pit digging and shovelling earth. There are few other options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When times are tough, Samuel occasionally works in this gold mine. There are few other ways of making a living in his area. (Image: Lucinda Rouse \/ China Dialogue)\u00a0<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like the hunting business,\u201d he confides. \u201cI suffer to go in the bush, find something small and bring it home for my children to live. If I could get any other job I would leave the hunting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Samuel regrets leaving scho\u00ad\u00ad\u00adol aged 13 to follow in his father\u2019s footsteps. \u201cMy eldest child is 12,\u201d he reflects. \u201cI\u2019d say \u2018no\u2019 if my son told me he wanted to be a hunter. I\u2019d tell him to learn and get a better job and then he will get something good tomorrow. Because I didn\u2019t learn anything, that\u2019s why I\u2019m hunting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the supply of antsbear scales in Rivercess shows no sign of drying up as the appetite for sweet meat remains high. And the villagers sit on their growing sacks of keratin, waiting for the buyers to return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Names have been changed to protect identities.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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