When I ask, do you know pangolin? And many of my friends often reply, penguin? Yes, many of us are unknown about this species. Unfortunately, these little-known species may extinct from the earth before we actually realize it exists.

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 extant species of pangolin found in the world. Four of them are Asian native and four of them are African. IUCN (The International Union for Nature Conservation) has listed all the species of pangolin in the Red list of threatened species. Two of them are critically endangered, two are endangered and rest four African species are globally vulnerable.

Pangolins are the unique mammals where the body is covered with scales rather than fur. They are as small as a domestic cat and as big as a small dog. Ants and termites are their common diets so, called Scaly anteater which is captured by its long and sticky tongue. Pangolins prefer to live alone rather than in a group. They are nocturnal and lives by burrowing holes. They use their front legs for digging up and hind legs for walking.

Pangolins illegal trade is emerging at a speedy rate and 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.

Pangolins scales are used by the Chinese as a traditional medicine with the myths that it can cure many diseases from head to toe that includes mental illnesses, cancer, and asthma. 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 are regarded as farmer's friend as a single pangolin consumes more than 70 million ants and termites keeping the soil healthy. They have their own important role in the ecosystem.

So, for pangolins to survive, the Government should introduce stronger conservation policies from the local level to the national level. The government should work with conservation scientists to promote public awareness so that local communities can know the importance of pangolin in the ecology and may get involved in conservation action.

References:

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

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

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

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

Photo: IUCN, Chinese pangolin.