In late February, we reported that 32 pangolins had died while in the custody of the Guangxi Forestry Department. As a result, the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) filed a lawsuit against the forestry department and its subsidiaries in early May for the deaths of eight of those 32 pangolins and the environmental loss caused by the death of those animals.
In the lawsuit, the Chinese NGO argues that the deaths of the eight pangolins are considered an environmental loss, which the forestry department should pay for. Aside from compensation, the forestry department should issue a public apology for negligence and they should cover all costs pertaining to the court case.
Back in August 2017, 34 smuggled pangolins (32 alive, two dead) were delivered to the Guangxi Forestry Department for quarantine and treatment. After the 30-day quarantine period, eight pangolins were still alive and functioning normally and should have been released into the wild. The CBCGDF asked if they could help look after the pangolins but were rejected by the forestry department. Within 10 weeks of the Guangxi Forestry department receiving the rescued pangolins, all of the animals had died.
The Guangxi Forestry Department defended their role in these deaths, stating that pangolins are notoriously difficult to care for in captivity because of their shy personalities. The department also viewed the pangolins as a threat to the local ecosystem.
In a statement on their website summarizing the core of their lawsuit, the CBCGDF accused the forestry department of negligence, claiming, “Over the past few years, at least a few hundred living pangolins have been sent to the defendant’s office every year. None of them have returned to nature. According to international standards, the rescue’s chance of success is zero.”
Because none of the pangolins were released back into the wild, the environmental NGO plans to file another case in order to trace the dereliction of duty regarding pangolins over the last 10 years.
The CBCGDF claimed this lawsuit is the first piece of litigation regarding pangolin conservation in China while the South China Morning Post reported that this is “the first lawsuit of its kind” in which an NGO is suing a Chinese forestry authority.
Currently, the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation is caring for three pangolins named No Move, Always Sleep and Last Night. Creative, we know.
No Move the pangolin. Image via CBCGDF
READ MORE: Over 100 Rescued Pangolins Have Died in South China
[Cover image via world_animal_protection/Instagram]
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