Malaysia has seized more than US$2 million (RM8.671 million) worth of scales from pangolins, the world's most poached animal, at KL International Airport (KLIA) in the largest haul seen in the country, officials said today.

Customs officials acting on a tip-off discovered 712kg of scales at the airport's cargo warehouse, where they had been shipped in 18 sacks using false documents, Customs Department assistant director-general Paddy Abdul Halim said.

Wildlife and National Parks Department deputy director of enforcement Rozidan Md Yasin said an estimated 1,400 pangolins had been killed to produce the amount of scales seized.

Malaysia has previously been singled out by wildlife conservationists as a transit point for the illegal trafficking of endangered species to other Asian countries.

Shy and near-sighted, pangolins only venture out from the safety of their burrows or tree-top homes at night to scour for insects. When startled, they curl up into a ball - a technique that is futile against the cable snares set by hunters.

All eight of the world's species of pangolin, which range from 30cm to 100cm in length, are threatened with extinction.

The scales were shipped from Africa in two separate shipments, Paddy said. The first shipment from Accra, Ghana, had been sent to Malaysia via Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on an Emirates Airlines flight.

The second was sent from Kinshaha, Congo, on Kenya Airways to Nairobi, Kenya, where it was then transferred to an Emirates Airlines flight and shipped to Malaysia via Dubai.

"We are still investigating whether the two shipments are linked," Paddy told a press conference.

Scales usually sent on to Vietnam, China

No suspect has been detained and it was still unclear whether Malaysia was the final destination for the scales as no recipients could be traced.

Pangolin scales shipped to Malaysia were usually sent on to Vietnam and China, Rozidan said.

The value of pangolin scales varies according to region, but could fetch up to RM1,500 a kg on the Malaysian black market, he added.

Global trade in pangolin scales is banned under a UN convention, but they are prized in some Asian countries for use in traditional medicines.

Last month, Thai authorities seized nearly three tonnes of pangolin scales from Africa at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The offices of Emirates Airlines and Kenya Airways did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

- Reuters