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Pangolins
are being poached into extinction for food and the
illicit wildlife trade. We must act now
to shut down illegal wildlife trading,
and with your help, we
will! | |
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An
estimated 2.7 million pangolins are poached
annually in Central Africa alone,
according to a new study by the UK’s University of
Sussex.
These statistics are harrowing, and
they are worsening every year. Pangolins - shy,
nocturnal animals who are mammals despite their
scaly appearance - are now the most trafficked
animal on the planet. Poached for their scales and
meat, all eight species are now threatened with
extinction. Without our help, another unique
creature will be lost due to humankind’s
relentless exploitation of
wildlife.
We DO have a plan to help, and with
your support, we can implement
it. | |
Wildlife
traffickers are taking advantage of remote ivory
trade routes to smuggle pangolins out of Central
Africa. Now, more than ever, we need to step up
our pangolin conservation
efforts. | |
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Pangolins
are being stolen from the wild at a rapidly
increasing rate to meet the demands of the illegal
wildlife trade.
Pangolin meat is
considered a delicacy in China and Vietnam,
and the scales are used for traditional Chinese
medicines despite there being no scientific
evidence supporting this use. Consequently,
the international price of scales and meat has
driven up local costs, resulting in pangolin
poaching and trafficking becoming a lucrative
activity in Africa. The pangolin trade is
sickeningly cruel: often they are scaled while
still alive and then dropped into boiling
water to be cooked.
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Pangolins
are being poached to extinction because of a
multi-billion-dollar illegal
trade. | |
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Worth
an estimated $7-23 billion (£5.75-19 billion), the
illicit wildlife trade has led to international
criminal organizations exploiting low-risk,
high-reward opportunities across the globe, and
the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is ground
zero. The Congo Basin exists as a haven for some
of the most endangered species on the planet. The
heart of the world’s second-largest tropical
rainforest that stretches across six different
Central African countries, the DRC has become the
frontline of the burgeoning wildlife
trade.
The DRC is now the starting
point of a trade route for wildlife trafficked to
the world via the Middle East and Africa. To make
matters worse, the illegal trade of pangolin meat
in urban Congolese areas is also a huge
problem. | |
Pangolin
species are being destroyed to meet the demands of
the illegal wildlife
trade. | |
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In
the DRC and numerous other African countries,
pangolins are sold as meat in urban markets and
restaurants despite the national protected status
of the different species. The giant,
long-tailed and the white-bellied tree
pangolin are marketed for local consumption
in the DRC, and for international trade. The
problem is the law enforcement in the DRC’s
protected areas and forests is not enough to
protect these unique
animals. | |
If
these animals are to have any chance at survival,
it is critical that the illegal trade be
consistently infiltrated to bring wildlife
criminals to justice. | |
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We
have a plan to help do just
this. | |
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By
working alongside Conserv Congo, a Congolese
non-governmental organization registered in the
DRC, Animal Survival International (ASI) is
helping combat the local consumption of pangolin
meat in the DRC and helping to stop the illegal
trade of pangolins and their
scales.
Conserv Congo investigates,
reports and prosecutes wildlife crimes in the DRC
and the Central African region by working with the
Congolese Wildlife Authority (ICCN) and the
national police. By mapping out transit and
destination routes, and by using their vast
network of undercover agents, they can help
prevent wildlife crime by actively infiltrating
criminal networks, confiscating illegal products
and ensuring arrests are made.
They
have been involved in some of the biggest inland
seizures of animal parts on the African continent
and have enabled the arrests of wildlife
criminals. This led to the dismantling of some of
the biggest wildlife trafficking gangs. With
around 6,000 wildlife investigations and 3,000
arrests, this organization has proven its
successes time and again.
But
Vladimir, Conserv Congo’s operational costs are
skyrocketing due to the increasing number of
cases. It desperately needs the help of ASI
supporters to continue its vital
work. | |
We
MUST support grassroots organizations that conduct
undercover sting operations to bring ruthless
wildlife criminals to
justice. | |
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Global
networks, cross-border partnerships and a
symbiotic relationship with law enforcement all
allow our partner to bring culprits to justice and
protect the Congo Basin’s pangolins and other
wildlife species. It is an approach that works and
one that, with your help, will help preserve the
rapidly dwindling pangolin species. Please, will you help us
today? | |
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Saving
animals and the planet,
Campaigner
Animal
Survival International | |
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Image credits: Conserv
Congo | | |
| Please
share this appeal with your colleagues, friends
and family. | |
Add us to your address
book
Animal Survival
International UK
9 Bonhill
Street
London, London EC2A 4DJ
United
Kingdom
Animal Survival
International US
4957 Cross Pointe
Drive
Oldsmar, FL 34677
USA
Sent: Monday, August 01, 2022 12:44
PM
Subject: Shy pangolins are threatened
with extinction because of SHOCKING
CRUELTY!
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