Pangolins are among the more unique and peculiar animals that exist today. These prehistoric animals have been around for 80 million years and are the only known mammals to have skin covered with large, protective scales. They also have prehensile tails which they use to climb trees.
Sunda pangolins are found in a number of countries across Southeast Asia. Today they are extremely rare in the northern portion of their range due to poaching, and are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
More than a million pangolins are estimated to have been taken from the wild since 2000, with poaching for their meat and scales, driven particularly by demand from China and Vietnam, considered to be the main cause of population declines. Pangolins are believed to be the most trafficked mammal in the world. Sadly, Sunda pangolins are predicted to decline by a further 80% within the next two decades unless urgent action is taken.
Family:
Manidae
Order:
Pholidota
Est. in the wild:
Unknown
What is a pangolin? Though its alternative name is scaly anteater these animals are actually more closely related to carnivores. The Sunda pangolin is one of four Asian species. There are also four African species.
900-1,000
Sunda pangolins are born with all their scales, which can number up to a thousand.
25 cm
Sunda pangolins can extend their tongues up to a quarter of a metre – a useful adaptation for feeding on ants.
Sunda pangolins are primarily poached for their meat and scales. When threatened, they do not run or attack, they curl up into a ball which allows them to be easily picked up and sold through trade networks.
Pangolin meat is often served as a delicacy in upmarket restaurants throughout Southeast Asia and China. Viewed as a status symbol, pangolins are sometimes killed at the table in front of guests to prove they are eating genuine pangolin. Some restaurants market their foetuses steeped in wine or served in soup as an aphrodisiac.
Pangolin scales are used as an ingredient in traditional Asian medicines to treat a wide range of ailments, from cancer to acne to nervousness. There is no Western scientific evidence supporting these medicinal values, which is not surprising as their scales are made of keratin – the same stuff as fingernails.
Pangolins are on the critical list - over a million are estimated to have been taken from the wild by poachers since 2000. Please support FFI today to help stop pangolin trafficking. Unless we act now we will lose the Sunda pangolin for ever.
Fauna & Flora International (FFI) has been leading effective on-the-ground responses to stem illegal wildlife trade for more than fifteen years.
In the course of FFI’s long-running work in Kerinci Seblat National Park, Indonesia, to help protect Sumatran tigers from poaching and trafficking of their body parts, we regularly encounter Sunda pangolins. This is because the international wildlife trade gangs involved in poaching tigers are often the same individuals involved with pangolins.
To disrupt the tiger poaching networks, we are working with our partners conducting intelligence-led investigations, supporting local law enforcement and disrupting trade routes. Our Indonesia team is working incredibly hard to gather the evidence needed for authorities to arrest and prosecute those involved in wildlife trafficking. This work takes time and a methodical approach. They have to identify key individuals, investigate and build a case. It is difficult work, relying on good community relations, undercover investigations, great team work and determination. Each arrest and conviction deters poaching and disrupts international trade. This saves pangolins as well as tigers and the many other species being targeted.
With enough support, we could keep Sunda pangolins where they belong: in their forest habitat and out of the hands of poachers.
“The pangolin is a unique and wonderful creature that is being trafficked on an industrial scale. Eradicating pangolin poaching and trade is a priority for FFI and our partners as we seek to extend and strengthen practical, on-the-ground actions to protect pangolin populations in Sumatra and beyond.”
Illegal wildlife trade has become a high-profile issue receiving global media attention, not least because of its devastating effect on populations of rhinos, elephants and other charismatic wildlife.
Forests contain the overwhelming majority of life on Earth, including a staggering 80% of the planet’s terrestrial species.