Protection for Pangolins

Pangolins don’t naturally live in the United States, but the animals may soon be getting VIP treatment here. U.S. officials recently announced a plan to add seven species of pangolins to the endangered species list. (One pangolin species is already on it.)

Native to Africa and Asia, pangolins are the world’s most trafficked mammal. Their scales are used in traditional medicine in parts of Asia and their meat is eaten in countries like China and Vietnam. In the U.S., there is a market for pangolin leather.

^{SOURCE: WildAid}

When threatened, the animals curl into a ball. But that makes it easy to grab them. People have illegally hunted or caught about 800,000 pangolins in the past five years, according to WildAid. 

If pangolins get added to the list, importing or selling them in the U.S. would be illegal. That’s much needed, says Sarah Uhlemann of the Center for Biological Diversity. “Pangolins are on the razor’s edge of extinction.”

—Lisa M. Herrington