Plants such as rare orchids, with roots said to bring health benefits, have also become part of the illegal trade.

The clandestine business came to the fore this week when customs officials in Hong Kong seized some 2,700 kg of pangolin scales hidden in 45 bags in a container that was believed to have been bound for mainland China.

The cargo, from Surabaya in Indonesia, was valued at HK$1.35 million (US$173,000). Scales of the pangolin, or anteater, are used in traditional Chinese medicine to cure skin diseases.

Authorities are still investigating the case.

An expert from Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said the illegal trade in the region has become more rampant since Asia's financial crisis in 1997.

"With the recession, more people (in southeast Asia) have turned to wildlife, to natural resources to make a living," said Cheung Chi-sun, an endangered species protection officer.

"And in China, when they get richer, they start eating and using more things. First around themselves, and when they can't get enough, they turn to overseas," he added.

FEW SPARED

While China has its own pangolin and box turtles, these have been relentlessly hunted over the years and are now no longer able to sustain domestic commercial demand.

As a result, Chinese demand for box turtles and snakes, such as the common and king cobra from southeast Asia, have soared over the last five years, said another conservationist.

"The box turtles are the most threatened. The Chinese buy from southeast Asia, even America," said Lee Kwok-shing at the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden in Hong Kong.

"I don't think it's true that eating the box turtles will bring any special benefits. It has the same effect as eating chicken or pork. We really need to stop it urgently."

Conservationists, however, agree that seizures of endangered species in Hong Kong have declined in recent years due to successful enforcement and stiff penalties.