The Pangolin Crisis: Silent Scales of Extinction

By Jake-Lee Coetzee | Adventure Lifestyle Magazine

“When the buying stops, the killing can too.” – WildAid

In the quiet forests of Africa and Asia, beneath the canopy of leaves and behind the curtain of silence, there walks a creature so ancient, so peculiar, and so misunderstood that many don’t even know it exists. The pangolin. Armoured in scales and shy by nature, the pangolin is the most trafficked mammal on Earth—and it's vanishing before our very eyes.

This is not just a conservation issue. It’s a humanitarian one. A moral one. A tragedy unfolding in slow motion.

What is a Pangolin?

Imagine a cross between an anteater and a pinecone, and you’re still only scratching the surface. Pangolins are solitary, nocturnal, and insectivorous, feeding on ants and termites with their long, sticky tongues. Their bodies are covered in overlapping scales made of keratin—the same substance as our fingernails. But while our nails grow and get clipped, pangolin scales are being ripped from their bodies and sold by the kilogram.

They don’t bite. They don’t roar. They don’t fight. When threatened, pangolins curl up into a tight ball. This defense mechanism—so effective against predators like lions—is tragically useless against humans.

Learn more about what pangolins are from National Geographic.

Why Are Pangolins Being Killed?

In parts of Asia, particularly China and Vietnam, pangolin scales are believed to hold medicinal properties. There is no scientific basis for these claims. Yet belief is powerful—and deadly.

Pangolin meat is considered a delicacy, a status symbol among the wealthy elite. This demand fuels an industry so ruthless and covert that entire populations of pangolins are being wiped out—one trap, one bullet, one bag of scales at a time.

In-depth report: The illegal pangolin trade explained via The Guardian.

The Numbers That Should Break Your Heart

• Over 1 million pangolins have been trafficked in the last decade.

• Every 5 minutes, a pangolin is stolen from the wild.

• All eight species of pangolin are now listed as threatened with extinction by the IUCN Red List.

  
  

Africa’s Role in the Crisis

While pangolin poaching originated largely in Asia, the crisis has now moved into Africa at full force. Nigeria, Cameroon, the DRC, and South Africa are now key trafficking hubs.

Poacher in camouflage holding an automatic rifle next to a crude pangolin trap in the forest.

Read National Geographic’s feature on Africa’s role in pangolin trafficking.

Voices From the Frontlines

“Her baby was still trying to suckle,” a Limpopo ranger told me. “It didn’t know she was dead.”

Another Kenyan conservationist explained how poverty, not malice, drives locals to sell pangolins. “They’re offered more for a pangolin than they earn in a year of farming.”

That’s the human tragedy behind the wildlife crisis.

What’s Being Done?

• The international trade of pangolins has been banned under CITES since 2016.

• Groups like the African Pangolin Working Group, Tikki Hywood Foundation, and Pangolin Crisis Fund are fighting back with rescue operations, education, and advocacy.

Why This Should Matter to You

If we lose the pangolin, we lose not just a species—we lose a piece of Earth’s ancient story. A story 80 million years in the making. Gone. Extinct.

“Pangolins are as old as the dinosaurs,” says WWF. “And they’re disappearing faster than we can count them.”

What You Can Do

1. Talk About Pangolins. Awareness is power. Share this article.

2. Support conservation efforts:

   • African Pangolin Working Group

   • Tikki Hywood Foundation

   • Pangolin Crisis Fund

3. Avoid traditional medicine containing wildlife parts.

4. Donate, volunteer, advocate.

5. Support responsible tourism and ethical safaris.

Final Words: A Prayer for the Pangolin

“I’m sorry we took your silence for weakness.I’m sorry we mistook your gentleness for uselessness.I’m sorry we turned your scales into currency and your flesh into pride.We should have protected you. We still can.”

A Prayer for the Pangolin

By Jake-Lee Coetzee

O fragile soul in scales of grace,I kneel before your hiding place.No claws, no teeth, no roar, no fight—Just silence in the forest night.

You curl, afraid, and trust the dark,While men with guns snuff out your spark.For myths and meals, they take your breath,And wrap your innocence in death.

O ancient child of earth and stone,Whose blood runs deep, whose name’s unknown,Forgive us, please—we saw you not,Till your whole kind was nearly lost.

Forgive the hunger, greed, and pride,That watched you die and never cried.Forgive the hands that set the trap,And called your flesh a victory lap.

O God of all that creeps and crawls,Hear now this prayer beneath the falls:Let every hunter drop his blade,Let every lie of power fade.

Let children learn your name in song,Let rangers guard you brave and strong.Let forests breathe and echo stillWith quiet hearts that never kill.

Bring pangolins back from the brink,Before they’re gone as quick as blink.No statue, sermon, or last wordCan match the cry we never heard.

So keep them safe, these shy, sweet things—With armored backs and dreaming wings.And let this prayer be more than tears—Let it echo loud for future years.

Amen.