Investigative report reveals shops in Laos selling illegal wildlife products to Chinese tourists

A Guardian investigation has documented a network of shops in Laos selling banned wildlife products, including pangolin scales and tiger bones, to tourists traveling on the Laos-China railway.

• The Guardian gained access to shops in Laos that sold pangolin scales, bear bile, tiger bones, and ivory, products banned under CITES.
• Jeremy Phan, director of the Lao Conservation Trust for Wildlife, said pangolins were increasingly found in Vientiane, and his team rescued a pangolin that had been for sale in a restaurant.
• Chinese activist Brother Nut went undercover on tours and recorded footage of salespeople claiming the products were legal and medicinal; he estimated his group spent 100,000 yuan at these businesses.
• The Laos-China railway, completed in 2021, has carried more than 73 million passengers since opening, increasing Chinese tourist access to Laos.