I feel that World Pangolin Day will benefit from new leadership and I’m excited to see what transpires in this new chapter!
The ELEVENTH (!) World Pangolin Day will be celebrated on February 19th, 2022.
For all things World Pangolin Day 2022 and beyond, please visit the World Pangolin Day website at worldpangolinday.org
This heart-covered pangolin is wishing everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day!
World Pangolin Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in February, and this year, the special day falls on February 20, 2021!
World Pangolin Day day is an opportunity for pangolin enthusiasts to join together in raising awareness about these unique mammals — and their plight. Pangolins are unfortunately one of the most heavily trafficked mammals in the illegal wildlife trade.
Everyone is invited and encouraged to participate in World Pangolin Day! The aim of World Pangolin Day is to draw as much attention to pangolins as possible, since they are still relatively unknown outside of Africa and Asia.
Pangolins, also known as scaly anteaters, are unique creatures that are covered in hard, plate-like scales. They are insectivorous (feeding nearly exclusively on ants and termites) and are mainly nocturnal. Their name, “pangolin”, is derived from the Malay word “pengguling”, which loosely translates to “something that rolls up”. Together, the eight species comprise their very own Order: Pholidota.
There are a total of eight species of pangolin on our Planet, and all pangolin populations are declining, due to the illegal trade for meat (it’s considered a delicacy in China and Vietnam) and scales (used in traditional Chinese medicine, despite no evidence of medicinal properties).
Four pangolin species live in Asia:
Four pangolin species live in Africa:
For more information or media inquiries, please contact me: rhishja (at) annamiticus (dot) com
From April 18 to 20, USAID Wildlife Asia and DNP’s “Back to the Wild” workshop convened pangolin care experts and quarantine officials to increase pangolin survival rates when they are released.
The workshop, held at Khao Yai National Park, introduced police, customs officers and Wildlife Quarantine Centre staff to the most effective techniques for handling stressed or injured pangolins, including protocols for rehabilitating pangolins back into the wild. These threatened mammals have a heightened sensitivity to stress and thrive only on a natural diet and in a conducive habitat.
With global trends indicating an increasing number of seizures and only an estimated 50,000 pangolins still in existence, protection of this species is growing all the more important.
“This is a unique opportunity to help improve survival rates of confiscated live pangolins,” said Dr. Pinsak Suraswadi, Deputy Director General of the DNP.
“Veterinarians and staff at the Center have been able to learn how to care for and rehabilitate these incredibly vulnerable live pangolins so they can be released back into the wild.”
“Wildlife protection is a priority for USAID,” said Richard Goughnour, Director of USAID’s Regional Development Mission for Asia.
“If we can improve coordination among first responders and wildlife quarantine staff, rescued pangolins will have a chance to thrive back in the wild in Thailand, Vietnam and across Asia.”
Participants also learned how to use the USAID Pangolin Species Identification Guide: A Rapid Assessment Tool for Field and Desk, a booklet designed to help authorities confidently identify the eight species of pangolin and pangolin products.
Developed by the USAID Wildlife Asia project, the Pangolin Species Identification Guide: A Rapid Assessment Tool for Field and Desk will make it easier for law enforcement officers to identify pangolins and pangolin parts — such as scales and skins — they may encounter in the field. The guide provides species identification characteristics and range maps, allowing officers to identify pangolins and their likely country of origin.
“This guide will be a great benefit for frontline law enforcement officers who work at entry ports, such as international airports, seaports and land border crossings, to effectively enforce any laws relating to pangolins,” said Pinsak Suraswadi, Deputy Director General of Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP).
In 2017, authorities seized 32 tons of pangolin scales and 563 live pangolins in Southeast Asia and China. According to recent research published in Conservation Letters, up to 2.7 million pangolins are being killed every year in Central Africa alone. In many cases seized pangolins are not identified properly, making it difficult to know the original source of the trafficked individuals.
“We have to act now to protect pangolins, as they are at high risk of extinction,” said acting USAID Regional Development Mission for Asia Director Richard Goughnour. “This guide is one important contribution to better equip law enforcement officers to succeed in fighting this crime.”
USAID Wildlife Asia gave a preview of the guide at the November 2017 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Standing Committee meeting in Geneva. “The CITES Secretariat has already made the guide available on the CITES Virtual College, the World Customs Organization Environet platform, and more widely distributed it among the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime partner organizations, to make it available as widely as possible to officers responsible for wildlife law enforcement in the front lines,” said CITES Secretary-General John E. Scanlon.
USAID Wildlife Asia will further support pangolin identification with plans to roll out in late 2018 an interactive smartphone application to aid law enforcement and customs officials in the identification of pangolins and pangolin products.
USAID Wildlife Asia and the DNP will use the new guide at Thailand’s first-ever pangolin husbandry workshop to train customs and relevant law enforcement authorities to improve survival and release rates of live pangolins confiscated in the illegal wildlife trade.
All eight species of pangolin, four in Asia and four in Africa, are illegal to trade and are listed in CITES Appendix I, the highest level of international protection. Thailand is home to two pangolin species, the Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) and the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla). The primary destinations for pangolin scales and meat are China and to a lesser extent, Vietnam. Criminals frequently use Thailand as a transit point in the illegal pangolin trade.
The Pangolin Species Identification Guide is available on www.usaidwildlifeasia.org in English and Thai and will also be translated in Indonesian, Malaysian, Mandarin and Vietnamese. Mobile application is available at Play Store (https://goo.gl/NGpkzJ) and App Store (https://goo.gl/T9UVMQ)
About USAID Wildlife Asia
The USAID Wildlife Asia Activity works to address wildlife trafficking as a transnational crime. The project aims to reduce consumer demand for wildlife parts and products, strengthen law enforcement, enhance legal and political commitment, and support regional collaboration to reduce wildlife crime in Southeast Asia, particularly: Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and China. Species focus of USAID Wildlife Asia include elephant, rhinoceros, tiger and pangolin. For more information, please visit www.usaidwildlifeasia.org
World Pangolin Day day is an opportunity for pangolin enthusiasts to join together in raising awareness about these unique mammals — and their plight. Pangolins are unfortunately one of the most heavily trafficked mammals in the illegal wildlife trade.
Everyone is invited and encouraged to participate in World Pangolin Day! The aim of World Pangolin Day is to draw as much attention to pangolins as possible, since they are still relatively unknown outside of Africa and Asia.
Pangolins, also known as scaly anteaters, are unique creatures that are covered in hard, plate-like scales. They are insectivorous (feeding nearly exclusively on ants and termites) and are mainly nocturnal. Their name, “pangolin”, is derived from the Malay word “pengguling”, which loosely translates to “something that rolls up”. Together, the eight species comprise their very own Order: Pholidota.
There are a total of eight species of pangolin on our Planet, and all pangolin populations are declining, due to the illegal trade for meat (it’s considered a delicacy in China and Vietnam) and scales (used in traditional Chinese medicine, despite no evidence of medicinal properties).
Four pangolin species live in Asia:
Four pangolin species live in Africa:
For more information or media inquiries, please contact me: rhishja (at) annamiticus (dot) com
World Pangolin Day day is an opportunity for pangolin enthusiasts to join together in raising awareness about these unique mammals — and their plight. Pangolins are unfortunately one of the most heavily trafficked mammals in the illegal wildlife trade.
Everyone is invited and encouraged to participate in World Pangolin Day! The aim of World Pangolin Day is to draw as much attention to pangolins as possible, since they are still relatively unknown outside of Africa and Asia.
Pangolins, also known as scaly anteaters, are unique creatures that are covered in hard, plate-like scales. They are insectivorous (feeding nearly exclusively on ants and termites) and are mainly nocturnal. Their name, “pangolin”, is derived from the Malay word “pengguling”, which loosely translates to “something that rolls up”. Together, the eight species comprise their very own Order: Pholidota.
There are a total of eight species of pangolin on our Planet, and all pangolin populations are declining, due to the illegal trade for meat (it’s considered a delicacy in China and Vietnam) and scales (used in traditional Chinese medicine, despite no evidence of medicinal properties).
Four pangolin species live in Asia:
Four pangolin species live in Africa:
For more information or media inquiries, please contact me: rhishja (at) annamiticus (dot) com
Two of the four Asian species, the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) and Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica), are now listed as Critically Endangered. The Philippine pangolin (Manis culionensis) and Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) have been moved from Near Threatened to Endangered.
All four African pangolin species — the ground pangolin (Manis temminckii), giant ground pangolin (Manis gigantea), white-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tricuspid), black-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tetradactyla) — have been moved from Least Concern to Vulnerable.
Pangolins bear the unfortunate distinction of “most illegally traded mammal in the world”, due to the massive demand from China, as well as Vietnam. Pangolin meat (including fetuses) is eaten as a delicacy. Pangolin scales are used in traditional Chinese medicine. However, the scales are simply comprised of keratin — the same as our fingernails — and there are no proven health benefits of consuming pangolin scales.
The plundering of this species is inexcusable, says Professor Jonathan Baillie, Co-Chair of the IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group and Conservation Programmes Director at ZSL.
“In the 21st Century we really should not be eating species to extinction — there is simply no excuse for allowing this illegal trade to continue.”
This recognition from the IUCN is the latest positive development for pangolins in 2014.
(This post was originally published on Annamiticus.)
On Wednesday, July 9, multiple interventions were made on behalf on pangolins regarding SC65 Doc. 27.1 Enforcement Matters.
#Pangolins take the floor by storm with multiple interventions #CITES #SC65
— Annamiticus (@annamiticus) July 9, 2014
Several pangolin range states, including India, Indonesia, mainland China and Hong Kong, expressed their concerns regarding the trafficking menace facing this species … full article at ANNAMITICUS.
PHOTO: Tikki Hywood Trust
The Working Group has committed itself to ensuring that these enigmatic species are not traded into extinction and will press for the promotion, enhancement and strict enforcement of applicable national and international regulations protecting pangolins, including the commitments made by 180 of the world’s governments under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The Group will also work towards the uplisting of all eight pangolin species to CITES Appendix I, which prohibits international commercial trade … full article at ANNAMITICUS.