Okay no but can I tell you more about these amazing creatures? Whereas adorable and interesting to look at, the Pangolin is also unfortunately the most hunted and trafficked animal in the world. In the last decade, millions have been killed at traded, most commonly to China and Vietnam. An estimated 100,000 are killed every single year. These poor cutie patooties are also heavily threatened by rapid habitat loss. There are 8 subspecies of Pangolin living in Asia and Africa, but because of this degree of poaching, all eight subspecies are on the IUCN Red List of animals that are threatened with extinction, and are regarded as one of the most endangered groups of mammals in the world.
And this makes me so frustrated and sad because how interesting are these animals? They are the only mammal in the world to be completely covered in scales. However, it is precisely because of this unique property that they are so hunted. These scales, made out of Keratin just like Rhino horn or Human fingernails, are believed to have medicinal properties (they don’t) by practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine; they are believed to be able to cure everything from acne to cancer. Their scales can be sold on the black market for up to $3000 per Kilogram, and this is a primary driving force behind their rapidly dwindling numbers. Worse, a lack of public and governmental awareness about the threats faced by these beautiful creatures, as well as a lack of funding and political will, have made this illegal trade very difficult to combat and manage, leaving the Pangolins vulnerable to constant hunting.
It certainly doesn’t help that a Pangolin’s natural response to a threat is to curl up into a little protective scaly ball. Whereas effective against their traditional predators (big cats have no idea what to do with them when in that state), this also makes them even easier for poachers to catch and kill them.
While adorable looking, you can kinda see how this makes a poacher’s job a helluva lot easier.
Pangolins are brilliant and special and amazing and don’t deserve this terrible fate. The question now is what you can do to help!
Don’t buy Pangolin Products, and spread the word as well.
A relatively simple step. As mentioned, Pangolin scales do not have any special medical properties. So don’t buy them, don’t buy their meat, don’t buy them as decorations, and encourage your friends and family not to as well.
Support The Movement
Conservation requires funding. When trying to conserve an animal as threatened as this, funding becomes all the more integral. Help by purchasing a thing or two from the Save Pangolins Online Store. 100% of the profits from this goes to the conservation effort.
Also, help sign this petition to get Google to participate in World Pangolin Day to help raise awareness about their plight! There are a few petitions that come up from time to time, but due to this animal’s relative obscurity and because people don’t know about them, they are small and few in number. Which brings us back to number 1 - spread the word.
Report Wildlife Crimes
If you see Pangolins being sold in any shape or form, contact your local authority, or contact one of these organizations below (especially if you’re in the area, be it as a tourist or a local.):
Cambodia: Wildlife crime hotline 012 500 094 / 023 224 758
Vietnam: Education For Nature (EFN) Hotline 1 800-1522 or email [email protected]
ASEAN WEN Wildlife Crime Hotlines: www.asean-wen.org/index.php/crime-report-hotline
Pangolins are adorable and need our help! Every little bit counts!
To end on a happier note, here’s a picture showing how Pangolin mums carry their children around. They ride on the back of their mum’s tail, how adorable is that I can’t.
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