WildAid’s Pangolin Priority: Saving the Most Trafficked Wild Mammal in the World

Pangolins are solitary, reclusive, and nocturnal animals. With a unique set of scales, unlike any other mammal, these ant and termite eaters live in diverse habitats across Africa and Asia.

Considered keystone species in their habitats, pangolins have two important functions: they control insects, and they aerate soil. By keeping insect populations in check and supporting high-quality soil, pangolins play a role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem for plant growth, which leads to a cascade of benefits for other plants and animals. That makes these scaly mammals a linchpin for strong, sustainable ecosystems.

However, despite their elusive nature and vital ecological role, pangolins are the most trafficked wild mammal in the world.

High market demand brings high danger

Protected by their exterior scales, pangolins have a strong defense against natural predators. When faced with danger, they roll into a ball. It’s a defensive strategy that works surprisingly well when they’re up against a large cat like a lion, but it’s less successful when they’re facing a poacher.

The pangolin’s most significant threat, of course, is human beings. Human-led forest destruction and urban development poses significant challenges for all forest species, but pangolins face the additional threat of market demand. Live pangolins, along with pangolin meat, blood, scales, and other products made from pangolins, are sold as market commodities. In Cameroon where bushmeat consumption is part of the social norm, pangolin meat is considered a delicacy and has been traditionally served at weddings, holidays, and other significant events. In China and Vietnam, pangolin meat is also consumed as a delicacy, while pangolin scales are used in traditional medicine intended to treat a range of ailments, including rheumatism, inflammation, mammary gland blockage, and wounds.

An estimated 200,000 pangolins are taken from the wild each year, and approximately one million were trafficked in the past decade, to meet the demand for their parts.

WildAid’s pangolin protection strategies

 Because pangolins have a low rate of reproduction and generally do not do well in captivity, it is crucial we work to protect and conserve existing wild pangolin populations in their natural habitats. To do so, WildAid’s behavior change strategy employs a multi-pronged approach that includes mass media campaigns, education, community engagement, and government collaboration to 1) raise public awareness about the importance of pangolins; 2) reduce demand for pangolin products; 3) build law enforcement capacity; and 4) foster local and global partnerships.

1. Raising public awareness of pangolin conservation

Pangolin consumption is often associated with traditions. Whether meat is eaten at business meetings or scales and blood are used in medicines, pangolins have long been part of the social and cultural fabric of the regions where they live. However, with increases in human populations and decreases in pangolin populations, these cultural practices are no longer sustainable for people or pangolins.

To address the pangolin’s plight, one key pillar of our approach is mass media campaigns. For nearly a decade, our campaigns have raised awareness about the threats pangolins face while fostering pride in these unique animals.

Recently, we worked with partners in China to create the documentary Defenders of the Hidden. The two-part series features Chinese actor and singer Wang Yibo and showcases firsthand accounts of China’s wild pangolins and the conservation action that protects them. The docuseries premiered in the summer of 2024 with a 500-person guestlist as live streaming reached an additional 5.1 million people. The film’s social media campaign garnered over 1 billion impressions for our pangolin conservation message.

The strategic strength of Defenders of the Hidden lies in harnessing inspirational storytelling to forge emotional connections and pride in China’s wildlife heritage, ultimately empowering audiences to make more informed choices that support pangolin conservation.

Our mass media work is often coupled with educational initiatives that further engage our target communities. By working with local schools and education leaders to develop materials and curriculums to teach younger generations about the importance of wildlife protection, shifts can occur as people move from being consumption-minded to conservation-minded.

2. Reducing demand for pangolin products

 Public campaigns intended to raise awareness about the diminishing pangolin populations are important on their own, but they must also be balanced by a reduction in demand for pangolin products. Our unique demand reduction strategy includes such aspects as promoting alternatives to pangolin products in traditional medicine, increasing the public’s knowledge of wildlife laws and associated penalties, and mainstreaming the idea that consuming pangolins is no longer socially acceptable.

Like rhino horn, pangolin scales are composed primarily of keratin, the same protein found in fingernails. While this protein is important for hair and nail health, there is nothing intrinsic about pangolin products (nor rhino horns) that indicates they have true medicinal properties. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practice, nursing mothers may be prescribed pangolin scales to increase lactation. To deter this practice, we teamed up with popular Chinese actress Angela Yeung Wing, popularly known as Angelababy, to create billboards and a video encouraging women to reject pangolin prescriptions with the message “illegal and destructive medicine made from endangered pangolins is not a remedy.”

At the same time, we recruited leading TCM practitioners to present on the 100 available alternatives to pangolin scales at traditional medicine conferences enhancing our demand reduction campaigns through dialogue with physicians and hospitals where the end goal is to find and increase the usage of medicinal alternatives to pangolin products.

Demand for pangolin products is further reduced by educating the public on wildlife poaching and trafficking laws, and the risks associated with violating these. In Cameroon, the government banned the domestic hunting, capture, killing, and trade of all pangolin species and imposed strict penalties of up to $84,000 in fines and/or 15-20 years in jail for those who break the law.

However, not all Cameroonians were aware of these regulations. To address this, we launched our “Say No to Pangolin Meat” campaign, which led to a significant shift in public awareness. After seeing the campaign, more than 60% of urban Cameroonians reported an increased awareness of the legislation protecting pangolins (more than double the number in 2022), and two-thirds of city dwellers expressed support for pangolin protections.

3. Building law enforcement capacity

 From behavioral science, we know that increased education is only one part of the puzzle when it comes to encouraging behavior change. Other motivational factors, such as incentives or deterrents, are also important, and enforced laws have been shown to be effective poaching and trafficking deterrents.

By partnering with government agencies, customs officials, border patrol staff, and law enforcement, we provide support in law enforcement training to ensure wildlife trade bans are properly implemented while working with governments and agencies to strengthen laws and regulations regarding wildlife trade and consumption.

Over the past two years in Vietnam, we helped train 300 forest rangers and forest protection forces and provided 280 Wildlife Management and Protection handbooks across 6 districts where pangolin confiscation is high. Not only did the trainees receive better tools and skills to perform their jobs, but they also gained new appreciation for pangolins and the conservation work that’s happening on the ground.

4. Fostering local and global partnerships

 Wildlife trafficking is an international crime and combatting it requires the involvement of international agencies, governments, and NGOs in addition to the local communities where wildlife is poached and the markets where wildlife is sold.

As a result of local and international partnerships with WildAid, many traditional medicine practitioners around the world have agreed to consider alternatives to pangolin products in their treatment of patients. For example, in 2023, 55% of practitioners in Vietnam indicated a willingness to try medications containing alternatives to pangolin scales in their practice.

China’s government upgraded pangolin protections from Class II to the highest Class I, putting pangolins on equal protective footing with China’s beloved Giant Panda. The penalty for hunting, killing, smuggling, or trading any of the three native species of pangolin in China is 10 years of imprisonment.

In Cameroon, 214 restaurants pledged to not serve pangolin meat, making a public commitment to preserve the country’s rich natural heritage.

Help end pangolin poaching

Protecting pangolins requires a comprehensive approach—one that shifts public perceptions, reduces demand, strengthens laws, and builds partnerships from local communities to global organizations. By supporting WildAid’s initiatives, you play a vital role in these efforts, helping to safeguard pangolins and other endangered species around the world.