Pangolins are the only mammals known to have plate-like scales. The scales are made of keratin, the same protein that makes up human hair and nails.
Pangolins are under serious threat in the wild. They are the world’s most trafficked mammals and are hunted and poached for the illegal trade in their meat and scales – which are used in traditional Asian medicines.
Chinese and Sunda pangolins are classified as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Indian and Philippine pangolins are classified as Endangered. The remaining species are classified as Vulnerable.
We have pledged our support to initiatives which provide a co-ordinated approach to wild pangolin conservation.
Born Free supports initiatives in Odisha, eastern India, which seek to protect wild pangolins and actively improve enforcement against pangolin poachers and traders, and Dzanga Sangha, Central African Republic, that rescue, rehabilitate and return pangolins in need back to the wild.
With the benefit of your valued support, we can continue our efforts to ensure the survival of pangolin populations in India and Central African Republic.
Conservation efforts are urgently needed to ensure the long term survival of wild pangolins – please support us.
The Pangolin Family live in the forests in Central African Republic and are tracked and monitored by the Sangha Pangolin Project which rescues, rehabilitates and returns pangolins to the wild.
Send a pre-written email to Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organisation, calling for an end to commercial live wild animal markets.
Main image © Dr Sanjay Kumar Shukla
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