Sir David Attenborough lends his voice to pangolins in honor of World Pangolin Day 2022, in an article and video originally posted by TRAFFIC.

Pangolin Champion Elisa Panjang is working to advance conservation efforts for Sunda pangolins in Malaysia. She spends long hours in the field tracking pangolins to inform her understanding of remaining populations and distribution. In addition to field work, she is involved in both local and global efforts to raise awareness for the species, which are currently listed as critically endangered by the IUCN Red List.

Pangolin Champion Charles Emogor is currently studying white-bellied pangolins in Nigeria and working with local communities to reduce threats to the endangered species. This article by Mongabay takes a closer look at his work, the current status of pangolins in Nigeria, and why projects like his are crucial to save these species from extinction.

The global illegal market for pangolin meat and scales is threatening pangolins around the world, but in South Africa they face an additional threat: electric fences. Accidental electrocution on electrified fences in rural areas leads to as many as 1,000 pangolin deaths annually. But that may change with the new Pangolin Friendly Farm Fencing project being led by our partner Pangolin.Africa.

Rhino Revolution, a grantee of Save Pangolins, has been working to raise the profile of pangolins in South Africa and integrate pangolin conservation into their work to support and protect rhino and other endangered species. With Save Pangolins’ support, Rhino Revolution launched the Pangolin Protection Program in 2021, a holistic approach to conservation that works closely with community outreach, anti-poaching, educational specialists and pangolin rehab organizations.

Early on in the pandemic, as governments announced shelter in place orders and trade restrictions, illegal wildlife trade became strained. Global attention turned to wildlife consumption and trade as the possible source for Covid-19 and in response, wildlife traffickers started to have difficulty selling their products.

The Goldman Environmental Prize is awarded every year to six individuals in recognition of their major contributions to the world’s gravest environmental challenges. These individuals are largely grassroots environmental activists whose dedication has inspired and mobilized others around the world to join their cause and create change. Since 1990, the Goldman Environmental Prize has recognized six global citizens, chosen to represent the world’s six inhabited continental regions, who are connected by a common thread: dedication to protecting the natural world.

World Pangolin Day is the third Saturday in February and each year it is a day that the global pangolin community comes together in celebration of these unique and wonderful animals. There are many ways one can celebrate pangolins. This year, we hosted Run For Pangolins, our first ever virtual charity run and were blown away by the support we received.

Many people around the world know what a pangolin is. Pangolins have garnered global attention as the most trafficked mammal in the world. In the past year, pangolins came into the spotlight because of widespread suspicion that a pangolin served as an intermediary source of COVID-19.

Join us in celebrating World Pangolin Day 2021 with Run for Pangolins, a virtual charity run. After a year that has made us all feel disconnected from each other, we are bringing together pangolin fans from around the globe with this virtual celebration.

Pangolins are the ultimate underdog: harmless to humans, yet poached and sold by the thousands each year. Tragically, they have become the most trafficked wild mammals on earth. What’s more, most people around the world still don’t know about pangolins and that each of the eight species is threatened with extinction.

Today, more than ever, pangolins need champions.

According to new data obtained by National Geographic, 2019 was a record high year for pangolin trafficking seizures. The data comes from a transnational security report by the nonprofit Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS), showing that trafficking of African pangolins into Asia has risen exponentially in 2019. “Worldwide, more than 128 tons were intercepted-an increase of more than 200 percent from five years earlier.”

We at Save Pangolins are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of two pangolin conservationists, Willy Thomas and Martin Hega, whose contributions to pangolin conservation will not be soon forgotten.

This helpful analysis conducted by the Wildlife Conservation Society brings to light new details of the positive developments coming out of Vietnam in regards to wildlife trade and preventing future pandemics.

Save Pangolins applauds Vietnam for their new directive to restrict wildlife trade and consumption with urgent and powerful measures to reduce further pandemic risk and to save pangolins and other threatened species. We are proud to partner with Wildlife Conservation Network to lead The Pangolin Crisis Fund (PCF). In March, PCF issued a special $1 million grant to WildAid for a multi-faceted campaign aimed at reducing wildlife consumption, especially of pangolins, and building public support for the closure of wildlife markets and restaurants serving illegal wildlife throughout Asia. Just weeks later, the Government of Vietnam has united its ministries and agencies in a commitment to end wildlife trade and consumption.

The Pangolin Crisis Fund, now in its second year of existence has recently funded two new conservation projects for pangolins with an aim to protect landscapes where important pangolin populations still exist. Both projects hope to increase our ecological understanding of pangolins and use this information to strategize more robust protection and conservation programs.

The following article by Helen Briggs was originally published by the BBC News on June 10th, 2020.

The government of China has upgraded protection status of Chinese and Sunda pangolins to National Level I, the highest form of protection in the country, effective immediately.

Under this first class status in China, pangolins are given multi-faceted protections: the government will allocate more resources to monitoring pangolin populations in the wild, increase patrols to prevent poaching, and strengthen protection of their habitat.