“It is now or never for pangolins: the poaching simply has to stop,” – Azrina Abdullah, Director of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia
If I had to use one word to describe the pangolin, it would be ‘defenseless’. Despite having an armored body and sharp claws, the pangolin is no match against its greatest threat of all – humans. These timid creatures have no teeth. When under stress, they try to outrun the threat. If that fails, they curl up into a defensive ball. Unfortunately, a rolled-up pangolin makes it extremely easy for someone to bend down, pick it up and simply slip it into a bag.
The biggest factor in the decimation of the wild pangolin population in South East Asia is the billion dollar illegal wildlife trade. This is driven in particular by the false beliefs humans have propagated regarding the medicinal value and mythical powers of a pangolin’s scales and body parts.