Why are pangolins in high demand in China?

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.

What is currently the most trafficked mammal in the world?

Pangolins
Pangolins are the most trafficked mammal in the world, with seizures of illegal cargo originating in Africa and intended for Asian markets having increased tenfold since 2014, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

What is China role in poaching?

Officials from China’s State Forestry Administration, the agency that both oversees and promotes commercial wildlife production, told Mills that farming will save species from extinction and reduce poaching. China is the largest market for illegal wildlife products – and the market continues to grow.

What do the Chinese use pangolin scales for?

The Chinese government continues to allow the use of pangolin scales for traditional medicine despite promises to crack down on a trade that has made them the most illegally trafficked mammals in the world.

Why are pangolins smuggled?

Pangolins — two species of which are endangered and all of which are protected by international treaty — are trafficked by the thousands for their scales, which are boiled off their bodies for use in traditional medicine; for their meat, which is a high-end delicacy here and in China; and for their blood, which is …

Why are pangolins mammals?

What is a pangolin, really? Though many think of them as reptiles, pangolins are actually mammals. They are the only mammals wholly-covered in scales and they use those scales to protect themselves from predators in the wild.

Why is pangolin smuggled?

What is China’s wildlife protection law?

In the interests of biodiversity, public health and governance worldwide, China’s lawmakers must use the revision to the Wildlife Protection Law to permanently prohibit trade in the parts and products of threatened wild animal species for any purpose, including for production of medicines and decorative items.

What wildlife is in China?

More than 100 species of wildlife make their home only in China, including the well-known giant panda, golden haired monkey, South China tiger, and red-crowned crane. China has nearly 500 animal species, 1,189 bird species, and more than 500 reptile and amphibian species.

What is a pangolin scales made of?

They are made from keratin, which is the same material from which human fingernails and tetrapod claws are made from. When threatened by a predator, a pangolin may curl up in a ball, and the sharp scales on the tail may be used to lash out. The scales are sharp, providing extra defense against predators.

Why is the Chinese pangolin endangered?

It has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2014, as the wild population is estimated to have declined by more than 80\% in three pangolin generations, equal to 21 years. It is threatened by poaching for the illegal wildlife trade.