Elephant tusks, rhino horns, pangolin scales, and tiger bones valued at around 80 million ringgit ($17.9 million) have all been confiscated by Malaysian authorities from traffickers.
Authorities in Selangor state’s western port found about six tonnes of ivory tusks and other animal parts.
According to Malaysian Customs Director General Zazuli Johan, the continent of Africa is where the animal parts are believed to have originated.
Photos of a collection of tusks, other animal parts, a skull, and jewelry that looks to be made of ivory were released by Malaysian customs.
Conservationists have named several Southeast Asian nations, including Malaysia, as important transit hubs for illegally traded endangered species on their way to other Asian nations, primarily China.
Traditional medicines use a lot of these animal parts, such as lion bones. The pangolin, an insectivore with scales about the size of a house cat, has been driven to extinction because its meat and scales are so highly coveted and used in traditional medicine.
Campaigners hailed the Chinese government’s removal of pangolin scales from its list of permitted components used in traditional Chinese medicine in 2020 as a crucial step toward rescuing the most trafficked mammal in the world.
