I was on linked-in when an article came into my view and I felt I needed to know more so I started to investigate the Pangolins, sometimes known as scaly anteaters, are mammals of the order Pholidota. The one extant family, the Manidae, has three genera: Manis, Phataginus, and Smutsia. Manis comprises four species found in Asia, while Phataginus and Smutsia include two species each, all found in sub-Saharan Africa, species of pangolin can be found in Africa, and four in Asia. The four species that live in Africa are: Black-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tetradactyla)
Pangolins will coil up as a defense mechanism from natural predators (in fact, “pangolin” means “roller” in Malay), but poachers, armed with machetes, bludgeon them until they are motionless. while bleeding, pangolins are then thrown into a pot of boiling water and boiled alive.
The animals are trafficked mainly for their scales, which are believed to treat a variety of health conditions in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and as a luxury food in Vietnam and China. In Africa, pangolins are sold as a form of bushmeat, for ritual or spiritual purposes, and use in traditional African medicine.
It is said at the rate the poaching is going these animals will be no more in ten years’ time. Their main source of food is termites and ants they must move on, or they could be killed by ants. They only produce one baby per year, it is said in the last decade 1,122,756 has been killed for medicine luxury goods, and social status a delicacy is baby pangolin. In 2017 the biggest shipment was estimated to have 20,000 pangolins.
Yet their scales are made of the same material as our fingernails so why is there not a law that these poaches get boiled alive for their fingernails and toe nails for medicines.
These mammals are soft-natured creatures, they show persistence, gentleness and patience and are very loving naturally very scared of people.
The return on cost of pangolins have increased considerable making this a very lucrative trade they are the most illegally trafficked species even over the trafficking of elephants and rhinos.
