By RFIPalled on 29-08-2019Modified on 29-08-2019 at 07:36

Pangolin is the most poached animal in the world. This is the case in the Central African Republic, where the Wildlife Protection Code of 1984 classifies this species, valued for its meat and scales, among those that warrant full protection.

" I bought it 8,000 francs . I buy them from the hunters, and afterwards I sell them at the market. People buy it to eat it, they like it a lot, even the officials. "

In Bangui, this salesgirl confirms this, people are crazy about pangolin meat . From Bimbo Market to Gobongo, these animals are found on the stalls. Even at the PK12 market, in front of the customs barrier ...

" The Chinese also buy the pangolin, adds the saleswoman. The Chinese come all the time to the market to buy that. Sometimes at 10,000 or 11,000 francs. "

In addition to local consumption, the pangolin is threatened by a much more disturbing phenomenon, explains Jérémy Ndallot, national coordinator of the Lake Chad Biosphere Project and former director of wildlife at the Ministry of Water and Forests.

" The most important, " he says, " is the exotic poaching of pangolin scales , which are very, very popular in the Asian market. "

" It's a very organized network. Generally, it happens directly in the forest, and traffickers go through Douala and sometimes Nigeria for Asia. And it's a really threatened species. "

Limited means, as well as the difficult political and security context, do not favor the fight against poaching in the country.

In Switzerland, the 18th edition of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) concluded on Wednesday 28 August.

Pangolin, the world's most poached animal, is listed on CITES listings. Very present in the Central African Republic, the 1984 Wildlife Protection Code also classifies pangolin as an entirely protected species.

If a new bill is currently on the table of the National Assembly and arrests occur regularly in the region, hunting continues.

► See also: Fishing pangolins in a Filipino reef leads to prison (2014)

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