Pangolins

Hunting and trade of pangolins are banned in India. However, the recent cases of smuggling have sparked concerns about a resurgence in the illicit trade. So why is the conservation of pangolins important, and what is their conservation status?

Globally there are eight pangolin species, four each in Africa and Asia. India is home to two species – Indian pangolin Manis crassicaudata and Chinese pangolin Manis pentadactyla. Indian pangolins are found in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

In India, the species (Indian pangolin) is widely distributed and has been recorded in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

In India, both Indian pangolins and Chinese pangolins are listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, of 1972. Therefore hunting, trade, or any other form of utilisation of the species or their body parts and derivatives is banned. Since 2017, all pangolin species have been listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), prohibiting their commercial trade.

Chinese Pangolin is classified as ‘Critically Endangered’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List while the Indian Pangolin is classified as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List.

They are also known as scaly anteaters. They are the only known mammals withlarge keratin scales covering their skin. They are also toothless and nocturnal. They curl up into scaly spheres upon being alarmed.

They are shy, nocturnal animals with limited needs. Give it ants, termites, their eggs and larvae, and that’s really all it wants out of life. Their sense of smell is extraordinary (vision and hearing are poor) and once they find a termite mound, they will broach it with a few hefty swipes from their long curving front claws.

Pangolins are “ecosystem engineers” that build burrows that help circulate soil organic matter, increase soil moisture and aeration, and affect plant community succession through their burying behaviour.

The burrows made by pangolins also get utilised as shelters by other species within their ecosystem. Over 30 species have been reported to use the burrows made by Chinese pangolins, including mammals, birds, reptiles, and invertebrates, for different purposes.

📌 The 2023 analysis of pangolin seizures in India by TRAFFIC and WWF-India for 2018-2022 found 1203 endemic pangolins poached and trafficked for illicit wildlife trade in 342 seizure incidents.

📌 Over a period of five years, 199 live pangolins were seized across the country, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) data reveals. This translates to around 40 live pangolins a year. More than 880 kg of pangolin derivatives were also reportedly seized in 342 incidents during the five years.

📌 Pangolin smuggling, like any other form of smuggling, involves three layers – those who catch the animal in the forest, the middlemen, and the buyer. Often, it is the middlemen who are caught during transit with live pangolins and further investigation hits a wall as buyers are not involved yet.

The creatures are strictly nocturnal, repelling predators by curling up into scaly spheres upon being alarmed. The same defence mechanism however, makes them slow and easy to catch once spotted. While pangolin populations are well spread out across the country, they do not occur in large numbers and their shy nature makes encounters with humans rare.

While their scales make for exotic coats, their meat remains a delicacy in several Southeast Asian countries. The mammal is also used in traditional Chinese medicine, skyrocketing its demand globally.

Armadillos make look-alike Pangolin but they are not related at all. Armadillos, scientific name Dasypodidae, have bony plates called osteoderms that cover the back, head, legs, and tail of most of these odd-looking creatures. They are the only living mammals that wear such shells.

Only the three-banded armadillo can curl its head and back feet and contort its shell into a hard ball that stops potential predators.

They are mainly found in America and vary up to 20 species. The nine-banded armadillo is the only species present in the United States.

Armadillos inhabit semi-deserts, grasslands, and rainforests, among other warm, temperate environments. Cold is their adversary due to their poor metabolic rate and lack of fat reserves, and outbreaks of extreme weather have the power to wipe off entire communities.

The majority of species sleep for up to 16 hours a day and dig tunnels, searching for termites, ants, beetles, and other insects. They hunt by using their acute sense of smell due to very poor eyesight.