How the Pangolins being eliminated from the eco system

17 February 2023, 4:38 pm

Byamukama Alozious> byamukamaalozious1993@gmail.com

Over the years human injustice actions such as illegal hunting and killings against world animals has increased as Pangolins suffer more, between 2017 and 2019 alone, 77 tons of pangolins scales were seized originating from Nigeria. This represents close to 214, 000 pangolins.

 More than one million are believed to have been killed and traded between 2000 and 2013 primarily for traditional Asian medicine and between  2010 – 2015, there were 1,270 reported seizures in 67 countries and territories across the six continents

This involved 120 tons of body parts, whole animals and scales, plus an additional 46,000 individual carcasses, in 2019, Uganda Revenue Authority seized 3.2 tons of elephant ivory and 423 kilograms of pangolin scales with an estimated value of USD $2.3 million and $1.2 million, respectively.

Some communities believe that Traditional medicine from wildlife is majorly believed to treat impotence and fertility while others believe that it boosts blood circulation, stimulating lactation in nursing mothers, treating skin disorders and wound infections though all these curative claims are not backed by any scientific proof.

Before meeting unjust deaths Pangolins endure unimaginable suffering as they are smoked, dragged out of trees and burrows, beaten to death with clubs and machetes, they are then boiled, sometimes alive for their scales.

As the world celebrates world Animal day that happens every 16^th February, World Animal activists want to see Pangolins protected and offenders face the laws  

While sensitizing Media on Pangolins, Rebeca Sandoval the Co-founder Biodiversity Alliance challenges the communities to learn to live with Pangolins by giving them care and space to live. Through her personal slogan ”How to fall in Love with Pangolins” adds that Pangolins are good for farmers because Pangolins depend largely on small living organisms in gardens which would instead be destroying garden crops

Edith Kabesiime from World Animal Protection urged Media in Uganda to associative with world Life stories to be able to attract the attention of public and know the importance of living with world animals particularly the Pangolins .

Kabesiime adds that despite this level of protection, illegal trade in them is still flourishing facilitated by weak enforcement and corruption in source countries and Countries such as Uganda must address enforcement and governance failures to protect pangolins, Invest promotion of herbal and synthetic medicine than resorting on to world animals