To all our followers and friends. Take a deep breath and meet the Pangolin, one of the most amazing creatures in the world. This picture of the Black-bellied Tree Pangolin (Manis tetradactyla) was taken somewhere deep in West Africa and shows the heartbreaking interactions that rangers and zoologists face every day of their lives. However it is extremely important to highlight that the man who has killed this animal for food or traditional medicine is not inherently evil, unlike the poaching syndicates that purchase illegally traded animal and plant products around the world. Humans have been living off the Earth’s resources for tens of thousands of years and our primary instinct to feed our families supersedes almost all others. The paradigm shift that we as a planet require is one of education, economic restructuring and implementation of sustainable conservation practices. This will lead to a moment in time where one day, fewer people in third world countries will have to poach in order to survive and communities will exist as part of the solution, not the problem. Although it is hard to look at an animal of such beauty and importance, suffering in the final moments of its life, look at it we must so we remember why we are pursuing our conservation goals relentlessly with both unity and passion.
And now, for the good news….
As of this week, the Chinese government has removed pangolins (the world’s most trafficked animals) from the list of approved medicinal ingredients. This is a massive step in the fight against illicit trade and provides a huge legislative disincentive to participate in the poaching, sale and consumption of these near perfect little creatures.
