Pangolins Are Most Trafficked Mammal
Have you ever heard of a pangolin? A lot of people haven’t. It’s also known as a scaly anteater. Conservation groups say it’s the world’s most illegally trafficked mammal. The U.S. government is being asked to designate seven species as endangered.
Born Free USA’s Rosalyn Morrison says pangolins once occupied large areas of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
“Pangolins are indeed the most threatened mammals in the world right now. And there are eight species in the world. There are four in Asia and four in Africa. They are mammals, and they’re covered in scales from their head to their tail. The scales are made of keratin, which is the same ingredient that’s in our nails,” he said.
Born Free USA and others are asking that seven of the eight pangolin species be protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. One already has been listed as endangered.
There is a market in the U.S. for illegal pangolin products. Getting the mammals included in the Endangered Species Act would ban the import and sale of the animals or their parts. Morrison says it would also heighten awareness about the mammal with the very long, sticky tongue.
Morrison said loss of the pangolins could damage ecosystems.
“They regulate the number of insects. They eat ants and termites. So, if we lose pangolins, there would be a cascading effect on the ecosystem.”
