Friend of the Earth program needs your signature to request the Governments of China and Vietnam and companies involved to enforce a ban on the trade of pangolins parts. We will send all signatures of this petition to the decision-makers in the governments and companies and we will ask for feedback and updates on the undertaken measures. We will then provide you with update here.

The only mammals on earth to be covered with scales, pangolins are renowned for their unique anatomy. Unfortunately, pangolin meat is also considered to be a delicacy in China and Vietnam and their scales are widely traded for use in traditional Asian medicine – where they are falsely marketed as holding medicinal properties that can cure a variety of ailments.

This monetary incentive has led to innumerable pangolins being taken from the wild, even though it is illegal to poach them, and sold on the black market. The IUCN SSC Specialist Pangolin Group estimates that, despite the reduction in numbers over the past decades, a pangolin is illegally taken from the wild every five minutes.

It is thought that international legislation is not sufficient to protect pangolins because the laws have not been enforced. This is, in part, due to a lack of political will and a lack of funds. Local populations are also not aware or engaged in the drive to conserve these unique animals.

Though poaching is the main threat to these species, habitat loss is also negatively impacting populations in both Asia and Africa, mainly because of deforestation.

The pangolin is believed to be the world’s most trafficked mammal. There are eight species of pangolin – four from Africa and four from Asia – all of which are listed by the IUCN as threatened with extinction.

Of the eight species of pangolin, four (Phataginus tetradactyla, P. tricuspis, Smutsia gigantea, and S. temminckii) are listed as vulnerable, two (Manis crassicaudata and M. culionensis) are listed as endangered, and two (M. pentadactyla and M. javanica) are listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.

Pangolins have a highly specialised diet, relying on ants and termites for their nutrition. Though they are not closely related to anteaters, pangolins occupy a similar ecological niche to these animals. They are important for controlling insect populations; it has been reported that a single pangolin can eat upwards of 70 million insects a year. As such, pangolins have an important role in the control of forest termites and without them, the balance of their delicate ecosystems will tip.

Friend of the Earth program needs your signature to request the Governments of China and Vietnam and companies involved to enforce a ban on trade of pangolins parts. We will send all signatures of this petition to the decision-makers in the governments and companies and we will ask for feedback and updates on the undertaken measures. We will then provide you with update here.

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Reference: 

https://www.pangolinreports.com/