POLICE on the outskirts of Bangkok seized about 500 pangolins and arrested a police officer, a town councilor and six others for allegedly trafficking the protected ant-eating animals, police said Sunday.

　　Acting on a tip, police raided the home of Wichien Jeenhem, councilor for Bang Mae Nang town, where the suspects were loading pangolins from one truck to another vehicle, police Lt. Woraphong Khaew-waen said.

　　Police believe the creatures were on their way to northeastern Thailand, from where they would have been shipped abroad.

　　A pangolin is a type of anteater protected under Thai law. Pangolin scales are crushed and mixed in soup for treating allergies.

　　(SD-Agencies)