Pangolins have been the focus of growing attention in recent years due to the massive quantities of their scales illegally traded for traditional medicine produced in China
The legal market in pangolin ‘medicines’ is a key driver of the persistent demand and it is vital that the Chinese Government bans the use of pangolin scales as well as the products of other threatened species
Pangolins have received a considerable amount of media coverage - but instead of the attention focusing on the remarkable characteristics of these animals, most reports have been on large-scale seizures of their bodies and parts across Asia and Africa
In the struggle against the extermination of species at the hands of illegal trade and human exploitation, no potential weapon or tactic should be beneath initial consideration. As well as coherent and effective transnational law enforcement, it’s also vital to change the attitudes of potential poachers and consumers
Estimates suggest that at least one million pangolins have been traded in the past decade. Although there is no population data for any pangolin species, the levels of observed trade and the patterns of exploitation strongly suggest that all pangolin species are in decline and that trade is the primary reason
The map is intended as a regularly updated resource for use by anybody working in pangolin conservation as well as for general interest and is based on a subset of poaching and seizure incidents from 2000-15, derived from publicly available records, from primarily English and Chinese language sources