By AmandaREO
(February 20th)
These cat sized anteater like mammals should be known for much more than being one of the world's most trafficked animal. Maybe that they're made of kelatin, the same thing that human finger nails are, or that they curl up into a ball with only their scales showing when danger's around. Pangolins are incredibly fascinating animals, but the demand for their meat and body parts is so huge that we have no time to learn more about them. The only time we have is to save them.
Poachers kill 2.7 million pangolins each year, because people believe pangolin meat cure cancer and arthritis, and that their scales help mothers with breastfeeding. In February 2019, authorities found 1,800 boxes of frozen pangolins, 61 live pangolins, and 361 kilograms of pangolin scales in East Malaysia's Sabah state of Borneo. This is happening all the time, and the numbers are frightening and real. The pangolin black market is thriving (and that's if it is illegal to poach pangolins in the area), and it isn't slowing down.
I'm sure this goes without saying, but don't eat, buy or have anything to do with pangolin products. If you see pangolin products in a store or restaurant, report it to a local wildlife crime organization. If you're able to, donate to https://www.pangolincrisisfund.org . Research and read more about pangolins! National Geographic and World Wildlife Fund are great sources that have a lot of information. Lastly, tell everyone you know about pangolins and the horrors that are going on.
I hope everyone reading this won't forget the beauty and importance of pangolins, and do our part to stop these brilliant animals from going extinct.
(thanks to our graphic designer c-chezqueen for the pangolin poster!)