This extremely rare animal only lives in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam.
In a world where unsustainable human consumption continues to push wildlife to the brink of extinction, the pangolin has emerged as a focal point in efforts to save species that are at risk of completely disappearing from the wild.
A pangolin yawning at the Khamab Kalahari Reserve, South Africa. (Source: Workingwithwildlife).
According to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the illegal wildlife trade generates profits of up to $10 billion annually globally; meanwhile, illegal timber trade is valued at $7 billion per year; and nearly $9.5 billion per year comes from the illicit seafood trade.
Combining these figures, all illegal wildlife trade activities, including fishing and timber, make up the fourth largest illegal trade in the world, following drugs, human trafficking, and counterfeit goods.
The root cause of the illegal wildlife trade is the increasing demand for various products worldwide: bushmeat; ingredients for traditional Eastern medicine; exotic pets; jewelry, decorations, and accessories like chess sets; furs for various uses, from coats to traditional costumes…
Sadly for the pangolin!
This reclusive, solitary, nocturnal animal, with very few natural enemies, is ruthlessly hunted by humans to concoct the so-called cure-all medicines.
Pangolins are the only mammals completely covered in scales, which they use to protect themselves from predators in the wild. Their overlapping scales are made of keratin—the same hard protein that makes up human fingernails. These scales serve as an almost impenetrable shield against predators like lions, leopards, and hyenas. When threatened, pangolins curl into an extremely tight ball, forming a fortress of hard, sharp scales.
A pangolin curling up in a defensive posture. (Photo taken at Khamab Kalahari Reserve/Workingwithwildlife).
Few people know that each pangolin can consume enough termites to protect over 40 acres of land from destruction, which is crucial for ecosystem health. In return, the protective armor that shields them is the very reason these small animals are rapidly declining toward extinction. Pangolins have become the most trafficked wild mammals in the world, according to WildAid (USA).
There are a total of 8 pangolin species in the world. All 8 species are listed in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with rankings ranging from Critically Endangered (CR) to Endangered (EN) and Vulnerable (VU). All 8 species are currently protected by national and international laws.
Despite this, pangolin poaching for meat and scales remains rampant. Whether in Asia or Africa; whether it is the Java pangolin, the Sunda pangolin, or the giant ground pangolin, all are hunted and killed.
Worldwildlife reports that from 2011 to 2013, an estimated 116,990 to 233,980 pangolins were killed, and this figure only represents the tip of the iceberg in illegal trade. Experts believe that seizures only account for 10% of the actual number of pangolins involved in the global smuggling activities of poachers.
So, which pangolin species is being hunted to the brink of extinction?
Java Pangolin – A Treasure in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam
Among the 8 pangolin species in the world, the Java pangolin (scientific name: Manis javanica) was classified as CR – Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List in 2019 due to its population having decreased by 80% over the past 21 years.
[There are 2 other pangolin species also classified as CR by the IUCN Red List: the Philippine pangolin (scientific name: Manis culionensis) and the Chinese pangolin (scientific name: Manis pentadactyla). However, this article will focus primarily on the Java pangolin].
The Java pangolin is a species that only lives in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam.
The Java pangolin – also known as the Sunda pangolin – is one of 4 species distributed in Asia (the other 4 species are found in Africa). The Java pangolin is exclusively found in Southeast Asia, primarily inhabiting the mainland and islands of 9 Southeast Asian countries: specifically, Vietnam (Central and Southern regions), Myanmar (Central), Thailand (Southeast), Laos (lowland areas), Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Brunei.
The total length from head to tail of an adult Java pangolin is about 75 – 121 cm, and it can weigh up to 10 kg. Males are larger than females.
IUCN states that the Java pangolin is listed as a vulnerable species in Vietnam. In three regions of Vietnam: Khe Net Nature Reserve (Quang Binh), Ke Go Nature Reserve (Ha Tinh), and Song Thanh National Park (Quang Nam), the Java pangolin population has severely declined due to hunting pressures over the past few decades, especially since around 1990, when pangolin trade began to escalate for meat, blood, skin, and scales.
This species is found in primary and secondary forests, including lowland dipterocarp forests and agricultural areas—such as oil palm and rubber plantations—and near human settlements.
Like most other pangolin species, the Java pangolin is primarily nocturnal, lives solitary—except during breeding—and is specialized in eating ants and termites. It is believed that this species plays a role in regulating insect populations. Additionally, they also consume ant larvae, bee pupae, flies, worms, crickets, and other insect larvae, as well as sand and grass.
The Java pangolin is an excellent climber and swimmer. (Photo: CC BY-SA 4.0).
The Java pangolin is famous for its climbing and swimming abilities. They seem to be well adapted to wetland ecosystems, such as the U Minh wetlands in Vietnam.
With the goal of protecting the biodiversity of Southeast Asian flora and fauna in particular, and the world in general, countries where the Java pangolin resides are being protected by government laws.
Not only that, the Java pangolin in particular and pangolins in general are also protected internationally. In 2016, a treaty of over 180 governments announced an agreement to end all legal pangolin trade and protect this species from extinction.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), in collaboration with the non-governmental organization on the trade of wild animals and plants (TRAFFIC), continues to work hard to protect species from wildlife crime.
In Vietnam, in 2019, the government issued Decree 06/2019/ND-CP (effective from March 10, 2019) which classified the Java pangolin as an endangered, precious, and rare forest animal in group IB.
Along with legal protection against poaching and smuggling, the Java pangolin is also cared for by experts and then released back into the wild.
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Good news just received: On November 5, 2024, the Ho Chi Minh City Forest Protection Department cooperated with Phuoc Binh National Park (Ninh Thuan province) to release 19 wild animals back into the natural environment, including a rare Java pangolin. All these relentless efforts aim to protect the rare Java pangolin—a treasure of Vietnam, Southeast Asia, and the world—from the brink of extinction! |
