Happy World Pangolin Day 2021!

 

World Pangolin Day is celebrated on every third Saturday of February. This year, the 10^th world pangolin day was celebrated on 20 February. The day was very special for all the pangolin enthusiast to raise awareness about its growing illegal trade.

 

The name pangolin comes from the Malay word pengguling which means "something that rolls up". They will curl up into a ball when threatened to protect themselves from many predators like lions and tigers. But on the other hand, this defense makes the poacher easy to put them into bags.

 

There are eight species of pangolins - four Asian and four African. The Asian ones are commonly found in Nepal, China, India, and south-east Asia. Among these four Asian species, the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) and Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) are home for Nepal. All the species are globally threatened and listed in IUCN (The International Union for Nature Conservation) Red list of threatened species.

 

The pangolin is the only mammal to be covered with scales. It is shy, elusive, nocturnal and insectivorous, and is a peculiar creature as big as a domestic cat or dog. Their main diets are ant and termites so, they are also known by Scaly anteaters. They are nocturnal and lives by burrowing holes. They use their front legs for digging up and hind legs for walking. Some African species are good climbers too.

 

The Illegal trade of Pangolin scales and meat are in massive structure nowadays. It’s a pity that more than 20 per cent of all illegal wildlife trade comprises the pangolin. They are even incomparable in a number of Tigers and Rhinos. In the past 10 years, poaching statistics estimated that poachers have killed more than 1,000 tigers, 11,000 rhinos but 1,000,000 pangolins, introducing them as the most illegally traded mammal.

 

Pangolin scales are used in traditional Chinese medicine where they are believed to cure illnesses, heart diseases, cancer and female reproductive disorders. But there is no scientific evidence behind these because pangolins scales are made from Keratin-the same substance that makes our fingernails and rhino horns.

 

Pangolins play an important role in the ecosystem. They are regarded as a natural pest controller as a single pangolin will eat up to 70 million insects annually. They make the soil healthy and have their own ecological functions.

 

For the long-term conservation of this endangered creatures, local community level awareness is must. Strong conservation enforcement should be placed at national and international level. Research interventions and action plans should be developed and implemented in the prime pangolin habitats.

 

 

References:

https://indiasendangered.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-pangolin-poaching/

https://thehimalayantimes.com/opinion/pangolin-the-most-trafficked-mammal/

https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/what-is-a-pangolin

https://www.iucn.org/news/species/201802/scaling-pangolin-conservation-never

 

Photo source: www.arkive.org