Sarawak Plans To Make Pangolins 'Totally Protected' Species

Have you ever seen a pangolin? It is a very rare animal so it is difficult to spot the species in the wild.

In fact, the scale-covered pangolin can actually be found in the state of Sarawak.

The mammal has been known as the most frequently seized mammal in Asia’s illegal wildlife trade and is sadly facing extinction currently.

Although it is a protected species in Sarawak, the species' classification will be upgraded to the 'totally protected' category in the state, which means the animal is not allowed be kept as pets, hunted, captured, killed, sold, imported or exported, and disturbed.

Pangolins are often hunted for their scales.

Bernama, quoting Sarawak Forestry Corporation chief executive officer Zolkipli Mohamad Aton, reported that the corporation would study the pangolin’s current population, before submitting a proposal to the government for the upgrade works.

“For now, on our job list, we want to review our Wildlife Masterplan, after that the relevant laws, but if there are indicators by outsiders, if they say, look you must do it, if not they (species) will go extinct, then we have to put it as priority,” he said.

Zolkipli said pangolins are especially used by traditional medicine practitioners and there is a demand for its scales.

“They say it has medicinal value, but I can quote an article by the World Conservation Society that says that pangolins scales are made of keratin, which is the same material as human fingernails, so in reality there is no medicinal value there, but because of tradition, people tend to go for these things.

“There are some who like its meat, but pangolin meat is not even fleshy,” he said.

We do hope that the efforts to make Pangolins a totally protected species will pay off because we cannot bear the thought of another animal disappearing from the wild.