The Chinese government has removed pangolin scales from its 2020 list of approved ingredients used in traditional Chinese medicine, a move activists describe as a “critical step” to save the world’s most trafficked mammal.
In recent months, this mammal has also been in the news because its exposure in Chinese rural markets could have facilitated the incubation of the coronavirus, which has caused a global pandemic that has infected more than 7.25 million people and has caused more than 411,690 deaths. Scientists studying the genetics of the coronavirus determined that it spent time incubating in bats and pangolins before jumping into humans.
Pangolins are scale-covered insectivores, about the size of a domestic cat, that are highly valued in Asia for their meat and scales. Last year alone, authorities seized more than 130 tons of pangolin-related products, an estimated number to represent up to 400,000 animals, according to conservation group WildAid.
There are eight pangolin species found in Asia and Africa. To date, three species are classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature: the Chinese pangolin, the Philippine pangolin, and the Sunda pangolin, found throughout Southeast Asia. The remaining five species, including the Indian pangolin, are listed as vulnerable or endangered.
Most of the demand for pangolin comes from traditional Chinese medicine and consumption. “
Although pangolin scales are made from keratin, the same material found in human nails and rhino horn, traditional Chinese medicine promotes the belief that they improve blood circulation and reduce inflammation.
According to Chinese state media on Tuesday, the latest edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, an official government compendium of medicines covering traditional Chinese and Western medicines, no longer includes pangolin scales on the list of approved ingredients, due to “exhaustion of wild resources. ” “
“These actions by China will have a real impact, these are critical steps that should be taken if real conservation was to happen for these animals,” said David Olson, director of conservation at WWF Hong Kong. “Most of the demand for pangolin comes from traditional Chinese medicine and consumption. That is what is driving this large-scale illegal trade,” he said.
Protection at the highest level
The decision to remove the pangolin from the official list comes just days after the Chinese State Bureau of Forestry and Pasture announced that the Chinese pangolin would become a “world-class protected wild animal,” the highest protection status. possible together with pandas and tigers.
Sophia Zhang, director of the Pangolin Working Group of the Foundation for Green Development and Conservation of Biodiversity in China, said that although she was satisfied with the result, she felt that she arrived “a little late.” “Many years have passed. How many pangolins have already been hunted and killed?” He asked.
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