Swaziland: Crack Down on Pangolin Poachers!

One of the earth's most fascinating animals is in danger because of the rising demand for its meat and scales in China and Vietnam. Today, poachers in Swaziland kill 2,500 pangolins a year to sell on the black market. Their scales are used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat a variety of illnesses and afflictions, such as deafness and hysteria, though there is no proof that the scales are at all effective.

Pangolins are special anteaters covered with scales. Like armadillos, they can curl up into a ball when threatened, using their scales as armor to protect them. All species of pangolins appear on the The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

Law enforcement and the media have been focusing on poachers' threats to larger animals such as elephants and rhinos, while pangolins barely fall on their radar. Please sign the petition to tell the Swaziland government not to ignore this smaller, precious animal. Urge them to crack down on pangolin poachers before it's too late!