Pangolins, here are the most illegally trafficked mammals in the world (VIDEO)

    Pangolins, here are the most illegally trafficked mammals in the world (VIDEO)

    What is a pangolin? If you have never heard of it, you are not alone. Although few know this species, pangolins are actually the most illegally trafficked mammal in the world, being used as an "ingredient" both in traditional Asian medicine and in some typical dishes.



    He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him



    What is a pangolin? If you have never heard of it, you are not alone. Although few know this species, pangolins are actually the most illegally trafficked mammal in the world, being used as an "ingredient" both in traditional Asian medicine and in some typical dishes.

    These small mammals of the order Philodota, often referred to as "scaly anteaters," have large, overlapping scales composed of keratin, the same proteins that make up the nail in humans and the horn in the rhino. They serve as a primary defense from predators. When threatened, the animals close themselves inside effective armor.

    There are eight pangolin species, four native to Asia and four native to Africa. Pangolins are insectivores, they feed on ants and termites, thus acting as natural controllers of these parasites. Their anatomy is well suited to this specialized diet: long claws for digging ant and termite mounds; ears that seal to prevent attacks and tongues up to a third of the body long to track down prey.

    Too bad that all eight pangolin species are included in theCITES List of Endangered Species, like explains Wild Aid. This is why their trade is almost everywhere forbidden. Unfortunately, however, the demand for pangolin still causes tens of thousands of deaths every year.

    At least 218.100 pangolins were seized between 2000 and 2012, a figure destined to represent only a fraction of the specimens that are illegally traded. The IUCN estimates that at least 1 million people have purchased pangolins in the past decade, both live and frozen. From Africa to Asia, along the same routes as elephant and rhino ivory.



    Roberta Ragni

    Photo by Paul Hilton

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