The extinction threat being faced by pangolins has finally evoked hard response and action. Slapping strict legal protections, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) on Sept. 26 voted to move the pangolins as a species "threatened with extinction."

Pangolins are the most trafficked mammals and had been facing mounting commercial trading. CITES' action came as a well-deserved intervention to halt the growing international trade on pangolins that is making it a vanishing breed.

Noting the significance of the protection initiated by CITES, Dan Ashe, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) said it is heartening that the body, which is focused on protecting "iconic" species such as the lion and elephant, has started some action to save the lesser-known pangolins.

Pangolins' Fighting Chance For Survival

Hailing the trade ban, Elly Pepper, deputy director of the Natural Resource Defense Council's wildlife trade initiative, said the step is positive as it would "give the world's most-trafficked mammal a fighting chance at survival."

Recently, U.S. officials have reported the seizure of nearly 20 tons of pangolin scales from illegal shipments that started from Africa between 2013 and 2016. In many countries, despite protective laws, million of pangolins have been slaughtered in the past decade.

Pepper hopes that the listing will eradicate legal, as well as illegal trade on pangolins in which the U.S. has become a major destination.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species has highlighted the huge decline of Malayan pangolin populations by 80 percent in the last two decades.

To save the "walking artichokes" like pangolins, a group of scientists at the IUCN in July 2014 released an action plan with a road map to save pangolins from destruction.

Medical Use Of Pangolin Scales

All the eight species of pangolins could soon become extinct because of the soaring demand for them, according to Jonathan Baillie, a pangolin expert with the IUCN in London.

He said the demand for pangolins is quite high in China and Vietnam. Baillie cited the case of Asian pangolin, mainly Chinese pangolin, as a highly trafficked species that is now "basically wiped out."

In China, the demand for pangolin stems from how much their scales are needed in traditional medicines. Pangolin's meat is also a favorite among the middle classes of Vietnam and China.

According to experts, there are claims that the scales of pangolins have the power to cure cancer and reduce weight. Pangolin scales are made of keratin, which is a protein found in human fingernails and also present in the horns of rhinos and antelopes.

Tech Times has reported about the extinction threat faced by pangolins in India, China and the South African cape.

Photo: David Brossard | Flickr