Protecting Pangolins

Between 2015 and 2019, 240 tonnes of pangolin scales, originating from a cluster of African countries, were seized by law enforcement authorities. Yet still the use of pangolin scales in China remains legal and at least 56 pharmaceutical companies are producing a minimum of 64 commercially available medicines containing pangolin scales which is perpetuating demand and driving this iconic species towards extinction.

The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) supports conservation partners and projects addressing both the supply and demand aspects involved in the wildlife trafficking chain of the Pangolin, leading to a reduction in the quantities of pangolin scales trafficked and the protection of wild pangolins from over exploitation and criminal activity. Through training community and park rangers and anti-poaching teams in Kenya, we have helped build a robust and replicable programme to mitigate pangolin poaching in the greater Mara ecosystem.

Across Vietnam and China, our ground-based conservation partners have implemented vital conservation programmes focusing on education surrounding the pangolin poaching crisis, dispelling the medicinal myths associated with pangolin scales, and ensuring the consumption of pangolin products becomes socially unacceptable.

In Vietnam and China, our ground based conservation partners have launched campaigns warning of the dangers of wildlife consumption to human and animal health, spotlighting pangolin consumption. Here a just a few highlights of the campaigns:

• Promoting the Jay Chou pangolin video on social media, on TV sets, on outdoor digital screens and on billboards across 14 cities reaching over 525 million viewers.
• Promoting social media messages urging the public not to consume wildlife products reaching 136M views.
• Launching a comic billboard campaign with 224 billboards in 6 cities that reached 70M viewers in the first two weeks.
• Mobilising over 60 top business leaders in a public “Pledge for Wildlife” to support closing wildlife markets/trade and ending consumption
• Hosteing media training to establish best practices on spotlighting issues around wildlife consumption and protection to increase public awareness/education.

Whilst it’s vital to support anti-poaching initiatives to protect pangolins, DSWF believes that we must simultaneously work with societies to counteract demand in order to bring about long-term change.

To learn more about our work with Pangolins, please visit our website.

Thank you for your support in helping us turn the tide on extinction.