Wildlife

Endangered Wildlife seized in the Philippines

A large seizure of 450 live wild animals from the island of New Guinea has been made in the southern Philippines, comprising hundreds of birds, dozens of reptiles, and a single Critically Endangered Western Long-beaked Echidna Zaglossus bruijni. The discovery comes a year after a similarly large seizure of Indonesian wildlife was made close to the Philippine capital, once again highlighting this illegal wildlife trade route in Southeast Asia.

Rarely seen, even in trade, the Western Long-beaked Echidna is found in Indonesian Papua and is often described as one of earth’s most mysterious mammals. This egg-laying mammal is threatened by hunting and habitat loss.