It is easy enough to say that pangolin numbers are declining due to the numbers we see being traded and confiscated globally , however the extent of the damage to wild population numbers is relatively difficult to quantify if we do not have an idea of population densities that exist at a regional scale.
The next thing we wondered was: are pangolins in decline?
The most common answer is: but given the demand for pangolin meat and scales, and the massive seizures of pangolin scales that occurred in 2019 and 2020, the population is believed to be in decline . —Are pangolins the most trafficked mammal in the world?
This begs the query “How many pangolins are left?”
Some have found that because pangolins live such secluded lives, no population studies have been able to successfully estimate how many pangolins are left in the wild. We do know that in the last decade around 1 million pangolins have been poached (which is nearly 300 per day) and some species have been hunted to.
Pangolins are the world’s most trafficked mammal with almost no chance of survival if removed from the wild. With global trends indicating an increasing number of seizures and only an estimated 50,000 pangolins still in existence, protection of this species is growing all the more important. How many Chinese pangolins are left in the wild?
Is the pangolin population increasing or decreasing?
Little is known about this elusive creature, so it’s difficult to estimate wild population sizes. But given the demand for pangolin meat and scales, and the massive seizures of pangolin scales that occurred in 2019 and 2020, the population is believed to be in decline .
Is the African pangolin trade on the rise in Asia?
They found that the trade of African pangolins to Asia is on the increase , as Asian pangolin numbers – the only other place pangolins are found – have decreased so dramatically in recent years.
How many species of pangolins are there?
All eight species of pangolin are classified as Appendix I under the Convention in the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to give them the highest level of protection from extinction. There are eight species of pangolin:.
This begs the inquiry “How many Pangolins are taken from the wild?”
I learned an estimated 100,000 are taken from the wild every year across Africa and Asia. Their meat is considered a delicacy by some in China and Vietnam, while their scales and fetuses are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat a range of ailments from arthritis to cancer. Pangolins are also used in traditional African bush medicine.
There are eight extant species of pangolin. They comprise the Chinese pangolin, Indian pangolin, Sunda pangolin and Philippine pangolin, which inhabit Asia, and the white-bellied pangolin, black-bellied pangolin, giant pangolin and Temminck’s pangolin, which occur in Africa . Where are they found?
One way to think about this is if you’ve never heard of the pangolin, you’re not alone . This shy creature, as big as your cat or dog, is the world’s most trafficked mammal — with more than one million pangolins poached in the past decade. Learn more about the pangolin, why all eight pangolin species are at risk of extinction, and the conservation efforts needed to save them.
My answer was we do know that in the last decade around 1 million pangolins have been poached (which is nearly 300 per day) and some species have been hunted to near extinction in China . Where do pangolins live? Four pangolin species occur across Asia: the Indian pangolin, the Chinese or Formosan pangolin, the Malayan or Sunda pangolin, and the Palawan pangolin.
How many Pangolins are trafficked each year?
More than 1 million pangolins were trafficked over a ten-year period, though this number may be conservative given the volume of recent pangolin scale seizures. An estimated 195,000 pangolins were trafficked in 2019 for their scales alone, according to Challender, et., and al (2020).