Ecowatch: Small parts, big impact – Poachers are upping their smuggling game

Tasty keropok? No, these are pangolin scales that have been fried to make them look like chips and easier to smuggle. In Malaysia, the Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) has been pushed to the edge of extinction by relentless poaching. — Traffic China

LOCATED just outside the state capital, Taman Johor Jaya is known for its plentiful food choices, having a popular food street where vendors sell everything from hawker fare to durians brought in by the truckloads from Pahang.

Flanked by malls, morning markets, and shops, the neighbourhood, like many parts of Johor, has been seeing an influx of traffic following the economic boom in the state.