The United States on Monday moved to extend federal protections to all species of pangolins — a step that would tighten trade restrictions and highlight the urgent conservation plight of the world’s only scaly mammals.
Found in the forests, woodlands, and savannas of Africa and Asia, pangolins are small, nocturnal creatures known for their distinctive appearance, slow and peaceful demeanor, and habit of curling into a ball when threatened.
Often likened to a walking pinecone, they use long, sticky tongues to feast on ants and termites, give birth to a single pup each year — and are the most heavily trafficked mammals on Earth. Their keratin scales are coveted in traditional medicine, and their meat is also considered a delicacy in some regions.
Despite steep population declines driven by poaching, habitat loss, and inbreeding, only one species — Temminck’s pangolin of Africa — is currently protected under the US Endangered Species Act. Monday’s proposal by the US Fish and Wildlife Service would extend that status to all eight known species.
This photograph taken on September 14, 2020 shows head keeper Tran Van Truong holding a pangolin inside its enclosure at Save Vietnam’s Wildlife, a group that runs a pangolin conservation program inside the Cuc Phuong National Park – Copyright AFP/File Manan VATSYAYANA
In a statement, the agency said it intends to list the four Asian species — Chinese, Indian, Sunda, and Philippine — as well as the three other African species: white-bellied, black-bellied, and giant pangolins.
“I’m delighted the United States is doing its part to save these adorably odd creatures,” said Sarah Uhlemann, international program director at the Center for Biological Diversity.
“Pangolins are on the razor’s edge of extinction, and we need to completely shut down any US market for their scales. There’s no good reason for anybody to ingest any part of a pangolin.”
Pangolins are currently protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which prohibits international trade for commercial purposes and allows it only under exceptional circumstances.
Still, the illegal trade persists.
In April, Nigerian authorities seized nearly four tons of trafficked pangolin scales — representing the slaughter of some 2,000 animals. In November 2024, Indonesian officials intercepted another 1.2 tons.
US demand remains a factor. Between 2016 and 2020, border officials intercepted 76 shipments of pangolin parts, including scales and products marketed for traditional medicine, according to public data.
