World Pangolin Day is here again which presents an important opportunity for the world to raise awareness about these endangered mammals. Pangolins play an extremely important role in the ecosystem. They are a natural form of pest control and protect forests from termite destruction. Pangolins have survived thousands of years only to be on the verge of extinction due to illegal poaching and loss of habitat.
There are eight species of pangolin found across Africa and Asia ranging from vulnerable to critically endangered. They are the most smuggled animal in the world for their lucrative scales and meat. According to Wild Aid, up to 200 000 pangolins are taken from their homes in the wild every year across these two continents. In many places such as China, Vietnam and some places in Africa, meat is used in traditional medicine to treat a range of conditions such as arthritis and cancer. In the United States, pangolin products are in demand, particularly for their leather which is used in boots, bags and belts.
All eight of the pangolin species are protected under both national and international laws. Despite this, however, according to The Nature Conservancy, upwards of a million pangolins have been killed for the black market trade in the past 10 years which is almost 11 pangolins murdered every hour. There are only an estimated 50 000 pangolins still in existence today.
In June 2020 China raised the protection of the native Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) to the highest level. According to a report published by the United Nations in 2020, China also banned the use of pangolin scales in traditional medicine which is a significant win given that 195,000 pangolins were smuggled for their scales in 2019 alone. Global worldwide seizures of pangolin scales as of November 2021 amount to over 856 kg as reported by Interpol.
Wild Aid is one of the many organisations on the front lines of the fight for pangolins. In 2016 it launched a public awareness campaign to end the demand for pangolins in China and Vietnam – the world’s two largest markets for pangolins. They have designed campaigns to educate consumers and make the depletion of pangolin products socially unacceptable. They have reached over 800 million viewers by working with media partners, the government and by enlisting the influence of heroic ambassadors like Jackie Chan to spread awareness. Eighteen months after launching the campaign, the percentage of people in China who believed in the medicinal value of pangolin scales dropped from 70% in 2015 to 50% in 2017. There is still a lot of work to be done, however.
Another organisation that exists to help end the illegal pangolin trade is the Pangolin Crisis Fund which invests in the best global projects around the world designed to end the demand and consumption of Pangolins. Recent grants have been given to the Tikki Hywood Foundation in Zimbabwe, Katala Foundation Incorporated in the Philippines and the Wildlife Crime Prevention in Zambia.
This year for World Pangolin Day, Born Free is teaming up with London-based communications agency, Pangolin PR and David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) to contact important tech players with the goal of creating the worlds first pangolin emoji. Their aim is to gain more global awareness and turn the highest-trafficked animal into the most cared for.
Pictures: Getaway gallery
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