"The pangolins were packed and ready for export to China via seaports in Sumatra and Java," the conservation groups quoted Indonesian Police Commissioner Didid Widjanardi as saying after the raid in Palembang in South Sumatra.

The solitary and nocturnal ant eater is found only in Asia and Africa. Its meat is considered a delicacy for some, its scaly skin can be made into handbags and shoes, and its scales and blood are used in Chinese medicine to treat allergies and sexually transmitted disease. (Additional reporting by Evelyn Djuwidja, Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Paul Tait)