World Pangolin Day: On the deadly trail of pangolin poachers

Endangered mammals highly sought after in Asia for their scales

(Freeland)

The past year has seen the pangolin hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Soon after the outbreak of coronavirus, researchers named the scaly ant-eater as the possible animal source of the virus, based on genetic analysis showing a 99% match between Covid-19 and a virus that pangolins carry.

Listed as critically endangered, pangolins are highly sought after in Asia for their scales, due to the unproven belief that they have medicinal qualities, and their meat.

Now pangolins have all but disappeared from China and parts of south-east Asia, transnational organised criminal groups seek them out across Africa. 

In Zambia, the SAPU KAZA is a special rapid-response, anti-poaching unit in Zambia’s Kafue National Park established by non profit Game Rangers International to protect pangolins and all other wildlife. 

Stop the Illegal Wildlife Trade

We are working with conservation charities Space for Giants and Freeland to protect wildlife at risk from poachers due to the conservation funding crisis caused by Covid-19.

Help is desperately needed to support wildlife rangers, local communities and law enforcement personnel to prevent wildlife crime. Donate to help Stop the Illegal Wildlife Trade HERE

Julius Miyengo is Commander of the KAZA unit. “In December, thanks to intelligence from an informer, we were told about an individual interested in capturing and trading live pangolin. The unit tracked the individual for some days before successfully apprehending him while he was in possession of a live pangolin inside a sack.

More than three tonnes of pangolin scales were discovered in Thailand (Kayleigh Ghiot, Freeland)

“The punishment in Zambia is [a prison sentence of] at least five years,” adds Mr Miyengo. “It makes a difference [to have a strong punishment]. I’m hopeful that’s what he gets.

Zambia’s SAPU KAZA rapid-response, anti-poaching rely on informers sharing intelligence about wildlife crime via mobile phones (Space for Giants)

“Our intelligence-led anti-poaching work acts a deterrent to would-be poachers, meaning it is rare for us to have a case of pangolin poaching. But we know that the demand is there, and that is worrying.”

Ahead of World Pangolin Day on 20 February, the Independent’s Stop The Illegal Wildlife Trade campaign celebrates the work being done to stop the poaching and trafficking of pangolin, and other endangered animals.

(The Independent)

Due to their highly endangered status, and any apprehension of a pangolin poacher is considered a huge success by conservationists and law enforcers alike.

However, despite the pangolin that was rescued by the SAPU KAZA team being rushed to a specialist vet, sadly it died four days later. 

This highlights the need for specialist live animal welfare training, along with a pangolin emergency kit to allow the unit to begin rehydrating live animals earlier. All this can only be achieved through more funding.

Space for Giants, one ofThe Independent’s Stop The Illegal Wildlife Trade campaign’s charity partners, helps to train and equip rangers, including SAPU KAZA. We are raising funds to support their frontline protection work in Zambia and many other countries.

“Proactive anti-poaching like this that is driven by local intelligence and working with local people, rather than against them, is by far the most effective way to conserve habitats and disrupt wildlife crime,” says Guy Disney, who manages Space for Giants’ EU-funded ranger training programme.

The suspected pangolin poacher apprehended by SAPU KAZA in December (Game Rangers International)

“Space for Giants works with organisations like GRI to support state authorities as they bring wildlife protection and law enforcement to the same high levels across this landscape. This protects species and their habitats, but it also protects the natural resources relied upon by millions of people.”

The Independent’s Stop The Illegal Wildlife Trade campaign also partners with NGO Freeland to end wildlife trafficking and crack down on the demand for wildlife products.

In June, pangolin scales were removed from an official listing of ingredients approved for use in traditional Chinese medicine. Yet despite this commitment, The Independent reported how the Chinese government continues to support the sale of pangolin parts for use in traditional medicine.

And recent discoveries of tonnes of pangolin scales in Nigerian warehouses, ports and transit hubs have revived fears among conservationists that the pangolin will be trafficked to extinction.

You can help by  donating to the Stop The Illegal Wildlife Trade campaign to pay for vital wildlife protection projects implemented by Space for Giants and Freeland. To donate click here. 

While theories linking pangolins to the outbreak of coronavirus have since been disproved, one upside for the pangolin’s PR machine is an increased global awareness of plight of the world’s most trafficked mammal.