February 18th is World Pangolin Day. Don’t know what a pangolin is? Neither did I until a few weeks ago. Pangolins have roame this earth for over thirty-five million years so you’d think that they are pretty invicible. Unfortunately, they face the most danger from humans.
Pangolins are the most illegally trafficked animal in the world. They are hunted for their flesh as it’s considered a delicacy. Their scales and body parts are also used for medicine and rituals in countries like China and Vietnam. In 2011, between 41,000 to 60,000 pangolins were sold to the black market for these reasons. It isn’t known how many pangolins are left on this planet but the numbers are low.
They are nocturnal mammals and are also known as scaley anteaters— they consume over 70 million ants per year! They don’t have any teeth, but instead have a sticky tongue that can be as long as sixteen inches (this is longer than some of their bodies).
Want to help? There is a newly established student led project at FXU dedicated to saving them. Lead by Yasmin Ellis, their aim is to try and make people aware of this endangerment issue and fundraise money to help protect the few that are left. Last week they had a cake sale that raised £27. With more fundraising ideas underway it is not too late to get involved! You can find details for the society here.