Extinction Threats to Chinese Pangolins

Pangolins are the most trafficked mammals in the world. Being hunted in every state they call home, most notably China. There are 8 species of pangolin, all of which are on the IUCN red list. The most endangered being the Chinese, Sunda and Phillipine Pangolins. All are hunted for similar reasons that I will explore in the following essay.

The Chinese Pangolin is known to have once lived in many areas across the southern parts of China, as well as Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos and Taiwan. They can live in a wide range of habitats, from tropical forests to grassland. Their primary food source consists of insects, exclusively ants and termites, which they use their incredible sense of smell to locate. They are nocturnal, and as such have poor eyesight. They use their strong front claws to dig into the colonies their prey inhabit, and then (much like the anteaters and aardvarks they have convergently evolved alongside), use their long sticky tongues to scoop up any of the homeowners unfortunate enough to find themselves faced with the pangolin.

They are solitary creatures, and therefore live very spread out. This does mean that the species is observed very rarely, not just because they are becoming increasingly rare due to hunting, but also because they hide away during the day and are extremely secretive when they are out and about hunting.

Whilst they share many traits with other mammals such as the previously mentioned anteater or aardvark, they are not directly related to any of these as the 8 species of pangolins are the only members of their family Manidae.

The main threat to the Chinese Pangolin is the extreme amount of poaching and hunting. The main cause for the poaching is the use of Pangolin scales and meat, with the scales being used for traditional Chinese medicine and the meat being considered a delicacy. Estimates about the number of trafficked Pangolins (All species not just Chinese) exceed 895,000 between 2000 and 2019, with the majority of these being trafficked to East and Southeast Asia. In recent decades, the Chinese Pangolin populations have suffered rapid declines. Between the 1960-80s, up to 160,000 individuals were harvested per year for consumption and medicinal use. We et al. (2004) estimated that the population declined by 99-94% between the 1960-90s, and Wu et al. (2002) estimated the populations in China to be between 50,000 and 100,000 individuals. However, less than 10 years later, Zhang et al. (2010) estimated the population in 2008 to be between 25,100 and 49,450. Which at either extreme is around a 50% decline in 6 years.

In Traditional Asian medicine, it is believed that Pangolin scales are a cure for a wide range of ailments and issues, from cancer, heart disease, even to help lactating women produce milk. Pangolin scales are made of keratin, much like human hair and fingernails, so there is no western scientific evidence to suggest that there is any real claim to be made about the medicinal properties of them. The Chinese government has released an average of 26.6 tonnes of pangolin scales per year since 2009 from government stockpiles on to a legal market for scales in the country. However, this is undermined by the ongoing illegal trading and availability through traditional medicine shops in China.

Pangolin meat has been consumed in basically every country they have called home throughout the history of the oh so wonderful human race. In many parts of the modern-day range of the animals this continues, but more and more often the animals are sold into illegal international trade, purely due to the high price they may fetch when viewed as a commodity. Most of this trade occurs towards China and Vietnam as well as other Southeast Asian countries, where the meat is consumed as a delicacy. With the perceived rarity Pangolin meat is often eaten as a sign of wealth or social status.

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Laws Have been put into place to combat the extreme levels of trafficking, however illicit international trading still occurs. Pangolins are protected by CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, the aim of which is to ensure that species do not go extinct due to international trading. In 1995 each species of pangolin was added to the CITES appendix II, meaning that trading would be closely regulated. However, as the population continued to decline, this was updated in 2000, to zero export quotas for wild-caught specimens traded for primarily commercial purposes. Which is, in effect, a proxy trade ban. Then later again in 2016, Pangolins were added to CITES appendix I, causing a total international commercial trade ban on any wild-caught pangolins and their derivatives. National legislation protects pangolins in many of their home territories, but the illegal poaching and trading carries on, appearing unphased.

Another threat to the individuals that manage to escape poaching is development of further infrastructure on the land they inhabit. Development of more hydropower stations and railways interrupts their life cycle and gets rid of land they can use to hunt. Use of pesticides can also drastically affect the individuals if they eat any ants or termites that have ingested them, which can cause damage to their organs

Action is being taken to help protect and conserve individuals of the species. One way this is being done is through protection of areas that have a known population of pangolins. There are many national parks throughout the geographic range of habitats, in almost every country they are native to. This ensures an environment that will not be disturbed by development of land or poachers, as many of the parks are host to a number of patrols and armed guards to stop hunters from being allowed to gain access to the land.

The Chinese Pangolin remains protected by national legislation in practically every range state, and is included in CITES appendix I, However, there remains the need to continue with active enforcement of these laws. Judicial proceedings also must continue, to combat the repeat offences of those who poach and as a deterrent to others. Additional intervention is also needed, including efforts being made to reduce the demand for pangolin products among the consumers, which may be done through providing scientific backed evidence on the medicinal uses being bogus. Ensuring that the communities that allow the poaching to happen understand what it is doing to the population, and the pointless nature of the reasoning must also happen, so as to allow the conservation efforts to not be in vain.

Pangolins are notoriously difficult to keep alive in captivity so for the most part, efforts to do so are met with little success. Such as in 2008 at Yunnan Wild Animals Park in China, they successfully mated pangolins in captivity, and had a new-born, but the cub died within three days. However, in recent years, great strides have been made in making this a viable solution, with many institutes housing and even managing to breed Chinese Pangolins (as well as a few of the other Pangolin species) with varying, but encouraging, levels of success. In 2007 Yang et al recorded that Taipei Zoo managed to improve the artificial diet provided to the animals, as well as the successful birth of an individual. The Research Base for Pangolin Domestication and Breeding from South China Normal University then further improved the diet and care of the captive individuals and had several new-borns successfully.

In conclusion, the Chinese Pangolin is under great threat, not only from poachers but also from the general disturbances the human race cause to its delicate habitat and way of life. Poaching remains the main threat, as even with scientific advancement, some still cling to the old ways of life and traditional culture. This makes it extremely difficult to make big enough changes to save the species, as even with the efforts already underway there will still be those looking to make a quick buck. As is usually the case in the world today, the human race remains the sole cause of problems for creatures we deem as lower than ourselves.

Whilst it may seem incredibly difficult and dire for the Chinese Pangolin, the amount of conservation groups and the efforts being undertaken to help the population survive is absolutely mind blowing. With National Parks and other protected areas taking great steps towards the protection and rehabilitation of the population. As well as the increases in captive breeding and survival of the individuals, the future is looking just a little brighter for the Chinese Pangolin.