Back to Collections:
Plights | Infrastructure  ​

Holding On To a Lifeline
Acrylic & ink on canvas, 20x20
$950

According to The IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group, All pangolin species are native to mostly Africa and most threatened by Asia because they use it for medicinal purposes and meat is sought out as a food delicacy. A pangolin is snatched from nature every 5 minutes as they remain among the world’s most highly trafficked species.
They are defenseless, shy, harmless mammals with their only defense being to curl themselves into a ball which makes them easy prey to poachers who can easily pick them up.
Why are they important for ecosystems?  They eat a lot of termites and ants, which have now become a disaster in forests because there are no pangolins anymore to control their populations.
The good news? There is a nascent community of pangolin conservationists who are starting to put forth great efforts to try and save the species. Another bit of good news is that China’s 2020 list of approved traditional medicines no longer includes pangolin scales, as it has for decades. The scales have long been sold in traditional pharmacies in China as an ingredient in legally allowed medications to treat everything from lactation problems to arthritis.  If only African countries did the same!
At least, now thanks to the Coronavirus, wet markets where live wild animals are sold as a delicacy or for medicinal purposes, are now being more restricted or shutdown, and with China's new approved list of traditional medicines excluding Pangolin's, this species has a lifeline it can now hang on to!
Some articles I found informative:
Leading Efforts to Save The Pangolin
Interesting Facts about Pangolins
About This Lifeline They Can Hang Onto
Please consider using the power of your network to share this incredible species with as many people as you can. Let's bring attention to the threats they are facing!