A conservation group estimates that more than 200,000 pangolins were killed between 2011 and 2013. And their death rate is rising up even more from 2013- 2019.
Where are all these dead pangolins going? China, mainly. Fetuses, in particular, are considered a delicacy, one associated with enhanced virility. Pangolin blood and body parts have also long been an ingredient prized in traditional Chinese medicine to treat asthma, cancer and reproductive problems. WI says the government permits designated hospitals to use pangolin products while barring retail sales.
International regulators and pangolin experts are now trying to launch a more forceful conservation effort. Education alone could make a big difference given that some of the Chinese demand seems rooted in a lack of awareness about pangolins' endangered or threatened status.
Meanwhile, Chinese officials are clearly stepping up crackdowns. Incidents like the arrests in the tweet above or Chinese customs' seizure of 8.1 tons of frozen pangolin and 1.6 tons of scales earlier this month are increasingly common. But, as with so many other animals, the pangolin's days are numbered.
Please save the pangolins from the Chinese superstitions that don't work!
