CONSERVATION
Protecting the
pangolins
AN ESTIMATED ONE MILLION PANGOLINS WERE TRAFFICKED IN THE LAST 10 YEARS, THOUGH THIS NUMBER MAY BE CONSERVATIVE GIVEN THE VOLUME OF PANGOLIN SCALE SEIZURES. ROVE SA SPOKE TO ALEXIS KRIEL, CO-CHAIRPERSON OF THE AFRICAN PANGOLIN WORKING GROUP, TO FIND OUT WHAT THE GROUP AND ITS PARTNERS ARE DOING TO STOP THE EXTINCTION OF THIS ELUSIVE MAMMAL. What makes these creatures so special and what role do they play in the ecosystem? Pangolins are the only mammal with scales – they are so unique and distinctive that they have been characterised under their own order, Pholidota. They have been on the planet for 85 million years – crossing over with dinosaurs in the Cretaceous period. Pangolins are voracious consumers of ants and termites and are probably responsible for keeping these common insects under control in their natural habitats. We have very little perception of what the insect life in a rainforest is like, because insects are hardly a feature of urban life. I know, I
have lived in a clearing of a rainforest, and would say that the insect life was my greatest challenge. There is always going to be a knock-on effect when you remove a predator from the eco-system.
Why are these creatures poached? The reasons are the real or perceived value of pangolins and their body parts in the illegal trade on the international market, including the demand for pangolin scales as a remedy in Chinese traditional medicine cures, the awareness of the international trade and the value attached to the sale of pangolins and their derivatives on the black market. We do not share the sale price and we encourage people and the media
Ground pangolin
50 | March 2023 - May 2023 • rovesa.co.za