Armoured But Still Need Protection: Four Jailed for Pangolin Trafficking in Cameroon
Content warning: this article discusses wildlife crime and includes two graphic photographs of butchered animals from a bushmeat market. They sit under a clearly marked heading further down, so you can scroll past them if you prefer.
There is an animal in the forests of Central Africa that wears its own armour. When danger comes, it does not run. It folds itself into a perfect, scaly sphere, tucks its soft face away and waits for the world to pass. It is a beautiful trick against a leopard. Against a human hand, it is a tragedy.
This week, in a courtroom in Yaoundé, that human hand was finally held to account.
Our information reached us through a confidential source, and it matches the official press statement released by the Tikki Hywood Foundation (THF) and Cameroon’s Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF) on 23 October 2026. What follows is our own telling of the story.
Pangolins roll into a tight ball when threatened, which protects them from predators and makes them easy for people to collect.
A verdict that sends a message
In October 2026, the Yaoundé Court of First Instance convicted four people for the illegal sale and trafficking of pangolins. The case was handled in close coordination with MINFOF, the Ministry of Justice and the Tikki Hywood Foundation.
According to the statement, Mme. Hermine Maguip was sentenced to five years in prison after she was arrested for selling the meat of a Giant pangolin (Smutsia gigantea) in the New Bell market in Douala. Three others, Mr. Eric Kamdje Etkegne, Mr. Etienne Fabassou and Mr. Dany Atangana, were each sentenced to four years for their active roles in the commercial pangolin trade.
The ruling brings the number of people jailed for pangolin trafficking in Cameroon to 20 since 2021. The partners describe it as proof of rising judicial severity: wildlife crime is being treated as the serious crime it is, and the message is getting louder.
Forty-eight hours later
The ink was barely dry. Just two days after the sentences were handed down, MINFOF agents carried out an operation in Ngame-Tika and seized three live pangolins: two white-bellied pangolins (Phataginus tricuspis) and one black-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tetradactyla).
Two suspects were arrested on the spot. They remain in custody awaiting trial, and like anyone in that position they are presumed innocent until a court decides otherwise.
Minister Jules Doret Ndongo says MINFOF has stepped up intelligence-led patrols and market inspections across the country. He promised to keep working with the courts and with conservation partners such as THF until the illegal bushmeat and scale trade is driven out of Cameroon’s ecosystems.
A live pangolin on a pavement, one of the photographs supplied with the report.
Armoured, but never safe
Pangolins are the shy architects of the forest floor. They feed on ants and termites, helping keep insect numbers in balance, and their bodies are covered in overlapping scales made of keratin, the same protein as our fingernails. There are eight species in the world: four in Africa and four in Asia.
Cameroon is home to three of them, the giant, white-bellied and black-bellied pangolins, and all three are registered as Class A species under national law, the highest level of protection. Internationally, all eight species have been listed on CITES Appendix I since January 2017, which bans commercial international trade in them and their parts, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The law is only half the story. Pangolins breed slowly, they do not survive well in captivity, and their instinct to curl up makes them painfully easy to pick up and carry away. The same source estimates that more than 895,000 pangolins were trafficked between 2000 and 2019.
Seized pangolins, curled up in a bag. Photo supplied by a confidential source.
Where the trade lives
In Cameroon, the bushmeat trade is a major contributor to pangolin trafficking. That is why the THF and MINFOF partnership focuses so heavily on markets, roadside sales and the quiet transactions that happen far from any camera.
The photographs we received show how ordinary and how hidden this trade can be: a tied net bag hanging on a gate, a live animal on a pavement, a pile of animals on a market table. We cannot independently confirm where or when each picture was taken, and we are not suggesting that every image is linked to the individuals named in the court case.
A tied net bag, one of the photographs supplied with the report.
Graphic images: viewer discretion advised
The next two photographs show butchered animals on a market table, including a pangolin. We include them because looking away is part of how this trade survives. If you would rather not see them, please skip to the next heading.
Graphic: a butchered pangolin alongside other bushmeat on a market table.
Graphic: bushmeat for sale on a market table.
A second chance in the forest
There is a gentler side to this story. Under a Memorandum of Understanding between MINFOF and THF, pangolins confiscated from the bushmeat trade and other illegal activity are taken to the THF Centre in Cameroon. There they are cared for and rehabilitated before being released back into the wild.
That care is skilled, patient work. Pangolins are famously delicate, so every animal that makes it back to the forest is a small miracle. The Pangolin Crisis Fund has also supported rescue and release of pangolins from bushmeat markets in Cameroon, and organisations such as the Last Great Ape Organization (LAGA) work on wildlife law enforcement in the country.
Is the tide turning?
There are encouraging signs. A WildAid survey of 500 people across Cameroonian cities found that the share who eat pangolin meat at least monthly fell from 14.1% in 2022 to 10.3% in 2024. The number who knew that all pangolin species are legally protected more than doubled, from 28.9% to 61.6%, and support for a ban on hunting and killing pangolins rose from 56.4% to 67%.
Courtrooms, patrols, rescues and changing minds: it takes all four. No single one of them is enough on its own.
What you can do
Never buy or eat bushmeat, and refuse any product made from pangolin scales.
Support the organisations on the ground, such as the Tikki Hywood Foundation and the Pangolin Crisis Fund.
Report suspected wildlife crime to the authorities in the country where you see it.
Share this story, so more people know that pangolins need protection.
Travel responsibly. Read our guide to how your safari helps protect wildlife and our investigation into the muti trade in Africa.
Frequently asked questions
How many people have been jailed for pangolin trafficking in Cameroon?
According to the October 2026 press statement, 20 people have been sentenced to prison for illegal pangolin trafficking in Cameroon since 2021.
Are pangolins protected in Cameroon?
Yes. All three pangolin species found in Cameroon are registered as Class A species, the country’s highest level of protection.
What happens to pangolins that are rescued?
Under an agreement between MINFOF and the Tikki Hywood Foundation, confiscated pangolins are taken to the THF Centre in Cameroon for rehabilitation and then released back into the wild.
Pangolins are armoured, but they still need protection. At Adventure Lifestyle Magazine we believe the most powerful travel stories are the ones that help the wild places we love stay wild. Wander back to the Adventure Lifestyle Magazine home page for more. Words by Jake-Lee Coetzee.
Open to collaboration: Jake-Lee Coetzee is a wildlife photographer and photojournalist, and the magazine is open to collaborations with conservation organisations. Get in touch via adventurelifestylemagazine.com.
Sources
Tikki Hywood Foundation and MINFOF press statement, 23 October 2026 (received via a confidential source)
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