the world’s most trafficked mammal is
one you may have never even heard of the
despite its lizard-like appearance the
Pangolin is indeed a mammal some
pangolins are as small as a house cat
while others are as big as a
medium-sized dog pangolins are covered
in as many as 1,000 scales which protect
them from predators like big cats when
threatened a penguins natural defense is
unfortunately there’s one predator that
penguins aren’t able to protect
themselves against humans according to
some estimates poachers have hunted more
than 1 million pangolins in the past
decade poachers use trafficking routes
that span the globe frequently shifting
routes to evade law enforcement all
eight Pangolin species found only in
tropical Asia and sub-saharan Africa are
now at risk of extinction pangolins are
killed for a variety of uses from
medicine to luxury goods with the
greatest demand in China and Vietnam
Pangolin scales often powdered or made
into a paste are prescribed in
traditional medicine for everything from
relieving arthritis to stimulating
lactation
[Music]
however these remedies have no
scientific basis in fact Pangolin scales
are made of keratin the same material
found in fingernails Pangolin fetuses
sometimes consumed in soup are
erroneously thought to enhance a man’s
virility but only the wealthy can afford
to eat Pangolin which is consumed in
parts of Asia to demonstrate social
status in 2016
sides– the international treaty on
wildlife trade voted to ban all
commercial trade in pangolins however
these creatures continue to be poached
at an alarming rate even causing a
devastating crash in Asian Pangolin
populations recently poachers have
increasingly turned to African species
the largest confiscation of Pangolin
scales occurred in 2017 which according
to one estimate came from about 20,000
African pangolins making prospects worse
for Pangolin conservation pangolins face
habitat loss plus they reproduce slowly
giving birth to only one baby a year but
why should we care about an animal most
people have never heard of Pangolin
dealers are often part of the same
worldwide criminal networks that drive
other animals such as elephants and
rhinos toward extinction plus loss of
pangolins could prove to be an
ecological and economic disaster for
local communities pangolins eat termites
that might otherwise destroy crops and
buildings pangolins also suffer abuses
in the wildlife trade such as force
feeding and injuries from snares
a few lucky pangolins survived being
trafficked confiscated pangolins in
Vietnam for example may be sent to a
rescue center and returned to the wild
there’s a lot of work to be done to
ensure the survival of pangolins
countries must work to reduce demand and
enforce laws against poaching otherwise
these gentle creatures may disappear
before most people even know they exist
for the latest news on Pangolin
conservation and other wildlife issues
check out national Geographics Wildlife Watch
one you may have never even heard of the
despite its lizard-like appearance the
Pangolin is indeed a mammal some
pangolins are as small as a house cat
while others are as big as a
medium-sized dog pangolins are covered
in as many as 1,000 scales which protect
them from predators like big cats when
threatened a penguins natural defense is
unfortunately there’s one predator that
penguins aren’t able to protect
themselves against humans according to
some estimates poachers have hunted more
than 1 million pangolins in the past
decade poachers use trafficking routes
that span the globe frequently shifting
routes to evade law enforcement all
eight Pangolin species found only in
tropical Asia and sub-saharan Africa are
now at risk of extinction pangolins are
killed for a variety of uses from
medicine to luxury goods with the
greatest demand in China and Vietnam
Pangolin scales often powdered or made
into a paste are prescribed in
traditional medicine for everything from
relieving arthritis to stimulating
lactation
[Music]
however these remedies have no
scientific basis in fact Pangolin scales
are made of keratin the same material
found in fingernails Pangolin fetuses
sometimes consumed in soup are
erroneously thought to enhance a man’s
virility but only the wealthy can afford
to eat Pangolin which is consumed in
parts of Asia to demonstrate social
status in 2016
sides– the international treaty on
wildlife trade voted to ban all
commercial trade in pangolins however
these creatures continue to be poached
at an alarming rate even causing a
devastating crash in Asian Pangolin
populations recently poachers have
increasingly turned to African species
the largest confiscation of Pangolin
scales occurred in 2017 which according
to one estimate came from about 20,000
African pangolins making prospects worse
for Pangolin conservation pangolins face
habitat loss plus they reproduce slowly
giving birth to only one baby a year but
why should we care about an animal most
people have never heard of Pangolin
dealers are often part of the same
worldwide criminal networks that drive
other animals such as elephants and
rhinos toward extinction plus loss of
pangolins could prove to be an
ecological and economic disaster for
local communities pangolins eat termites
that might otherwise destroy crops and
buildings pangolins also suffer abuses
in the wildlife trade such as force
feeding and injuries from snares
a few lucky pangolins survived being
trafficked confiscated pangolins in
Vietnam for example may be sent to a
rescue center and returned to the wild
there’s a lot of work to be done to
ensure the survival of pangolins
countries must work to reduce demand and
enforce laws against poaching otherwise
these gentle creatures may disappear
before most people even know they exist
for the latest news on Pangolin
conservation and other wildlife issues
check out national Geographics Wildlife Watch
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