We Need to Talk about Pangolins!

by Mimi de Trafford

You would think that having a full suit of scaly, wrap-around, armour would be a great defense but when you are a pangolin and the threat comes from people with large dexterous hands designed for scooping, it’s no defense at all.

In the world of mammals the eight species of living Pangolins are reasonably unknown.  As a species they are 80 million years old, amongst the first mammals to appear in the world.  They range in size from small cat to medium size dog and eat ants and termites scooping them up with sticky tongues into toothless mouths.  But, sadly, these scaly anteaters are poached, illegally traded and hunted in both Africa and Asia, their native habitats, and are facing a fate of extinction.  

Trade of pangolins has been restricted since 1975 and in 2016 all eight species were added to a list protecting animals threatened with extinction by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).  However enforcement of the rules is patchy at best. It is estimated that pangolins account for around 20% of all trafficked mammals - second only to human beings. Shockingly, examples of this trafficking are easy to find; in 2017/18 in Cote d’Ivoire 8000 pounds of pangolin scales were seized bound, most likely, for China or Vietnam.  In June 2016 4.4 tons of pangolin scales were seized in Hong Kong, they had been shipped from Cameroon in containers labelled shredded plastics. In Borneo in February of this year 27 tons of pangolins and their scales were contained by authorities; they put the street value of this cargo at £1.6 million 

There is a huge market for pangolin scales, meat and fetuses used in the preparation of culinary delicacies and medicine.  The medicinal benefits of pangolin scales are touted as cures for ailments as diverse as lactation problems, blood circulation and psoriasis.  There is no scientific evidence to show that the scales are an effective treatment and they are, in fact, no different in composition than the human finger nail.

Pangolins are difficult to spot in the wild and therefore it is exceptionally difficult to estimate their numbers but we need to be talking about their plight and drawing attention to the work of David Attenborough and Jackie Chan, both strong advocates for the rights of this unassuming but tough little animal.  We need to question those who claim that the medicinal properties of their scales are beneficial, they are not and better options can be advocated.  

We need to talk about Pangolins!