The history of the pangolin’s.

The history of the pangolin’s plight is deeply intertwined with the illegal wildlife trade.

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In several regions of Asia and Africa, pangolins have been hunted for local cuisine for generations. However, the emergence of a significant global illicit market significantly expanded the scope of this hunting.

The late 20th and early 21st centuries marked a sea change. Traffickers started using the four African species of pangolins—White-bellied, Black-bellied, Giant, and Temminck’s ground pangolins—to satisfy the demand for their meat and scales as the populations of the four Asian species—Chinese, Sunda, Philippine, and Indian—were drastically reduced. The illicit traffic from Africa to Asia increased dramatically as a result of this change.

In 2016, all eight pangolin species received the highest degree of protection under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), marking a key milestone in ongoing international conservation efforts. This outlawed the sale of pangolins and their parts on a global scale. Their survival is nevertheless seriously threatened by the illegal trade, even in spite of these and other actions, such as China’s 2020 withdrawal of pangolin scales from its list of authorised materials for traditional medicine.

The smuggling of pangolins is a massive and highly organised criminal enterprise, with global routes that primarily move products from Africa and Asia to consumer markets in Asia.

Here are some key details about the smuggling operations:

• primary Routes: Nigeria, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are frequently used as important export hubs along the primary trafficking corridor, which connects West and Central Africa to Southeast Asia. After there, the cargoes are frequently routed via transit nations like Singapore and Hong Kong before arriving at their ultimate destinations in China and Vietnam.
• Smuggling Techniques: To avoid discovery, smugglers employ a range of techniques. Large shipments of scales and other components are frequently concealed in shipping containers under the pretext of legitimate commodities like logs, frozen meat, or plastic garbage. Additionally, they use land and air transportation, as well as the mail service for smaller amounts.
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• The Shift to Africa: For centuries, the illegal trade primarily targeted Asian pangolin species. However, as these populations became critically depleted, traffickers shifted their focus to the four African species. This has led to a dramatic and unsustainable increase in poaching across the African continent.
• Challenges in Enforcement: Law enforcement faces significant challenges in combating this trade. The criminal networks are highly adaptable, and there are often issues with a lack of resources, corruption, and a lack of collaboration between countries. Furthermore, it’s difficult to trace the scales back to their specific origin, making it hard to target poaching hotspots.