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Poaching
Poaching
Pangolins have a hard shell on their back. This is intended to protect the animal from any predators.
However, the scales of this hard shell are valuable among poachers. Even though poaching of any pangolin species is illegal, poachers often kill and take the scales and meat of the pangolin to be sold off to the black market. The scales and meat are eventually used for traditional medicine in China and Vietnam.
Confiscated pangolin scales from the black market, most likely to be used in medicine. These were set to be destroyed in Cameroon in 2017.
Deforestation doesn't only affect pangolins. It affects all the other animals as well, which can destroy habitats and even ecosystems.
Deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is also a big threat to the pangolins. The process effectively destroys and ruins the habitat of the pangolin. This decreases their food source of termites and ants, and also makes them much more visible to poachers and predators. This heavily hurts pangolins.
With these factors combined, the pangolin is commonly believed to be the most trafficked animal in the world. So how could possibly we save them?
Well, there's some ways.
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