What is the most illegally trafficked animal in the world?

The pangolin trade is the illegal poaching, trafficking, and sale of pangolins, parts of pangolins, or pangolin-derived products on the black market. Pangolins are believed to be the world's most trafficked mammal, accounting for as much as 20% of all illegal wildlife trade.

Which animal is the most traded illegally?

What animals are illegally trafficked?

Birds are the most common contraband; the State Department estimates that two million to five million wild birds, from hummingbirds to parrots to harpy eagles, are traded illegally worldwide every year. Millions of turtles, crocodiles, snakes and other reptiles are also trafficked, as well as mammals and insects.

What are the most trafficked animal products worldwide?

Recent surveys by WWF and TRAFFIC have identified 10 of the most widely trafficked animals in the Golden Triangle. These top 10 animals are: the tiger, elephant, pangolin, bear, rhinoceros, serow, helmeted hornbill, gaur, leopard, and turtles.

What are the most commonly trafficked animals?

Top 10 Most Trafficked Animals on Earth

Where is animal trafficking most common?

These areas are called “wildlife trade hotspots.” They include China's international borders, trade hubs in East/Southern Africa and Southeast Asia, the eastern borders of the European Union, some markets in Mexico, parts of the Caribbean, parts of Indonesia and New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.

How much is a pangolin worth?

Pangolin sells for as much as $350 per kilo. "You find pangolins, and I'll give you money." That's what Ruslan, 58, says he was told by a wildlife trader from out of town. Pangolins are traded by the ton, frozen and alive.

Are pangolins bulletproof?

Despite reports of bullets ricocheting off pangolins, these creatures are not entirely bulletproof. However, the scale of pangolins can provide maximum protection against objects that might pierce its body.

What does pangolin taste like?

I can personally vouch for the fact that the pangolin is neither magical nor very tasty. The thing's most powerful quality appears to be its bizarre odor, which pungently stunk up the house. My first hesitant nibble revealed that it also permeated the general flavor of the animal.

How are pangolins killed?

Their armor-plated scales can cut and inflict serious wounds on a lion, leopard, or hyena — but are no match for a weapon-wielding human. Poachers simply pick pangolins up and drop them into a bag. Pangolins are the most trafficked mammal in the world — poachers kill as many as 2.7 million African pangolins every year.

What is the most trafficked bird?

African Grey Parrots are among the most trafficked birds in the world, and have been bumped up from vunerable to critically endangered by the IUCN. Prized for their ability to imitate human speech, the birds are often lifted from their homes in western African nations and shipped to other continents.

How many animals are killed illegally each year?

Every year poachers take more than 38 million animals from the wilds of Brazil to meet the global demand for illegal wildlife. Most are birds destined to become caged pets for people in Rio de Janeiro, Sydney, Madrid or New York. Biodiversity in Latin America has decreased by approximately 83 percent since the 1970s.

What sort of animals do people smuggle?

"Birds are the most common contraband; the State Department estimates that two million to five million wild birds, from hummingbirds to parrots to harpy eagles, are traded illegally worldwide every year." Tigers are a popular pet. An estimated 5,000 to 7,000 tigers (2013) are kept in the United States.

Why is pangolin trafficked?

Listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the Indian Pangolin stares at its bleak survival chances. It is hunted for meat and scales. These scales are used in traditional medicine. The rapid increase in international trafficking has accelerated its poaching.

Are pangolins real?

Though many think of them as reptiles, pangolins are actually mammals. They are the only mammals wholly-covered in scales and they use those scales to protect themselves from predators in the wild.

What pangolin is used for?

Pangolins are hunted for meat, for use in traditional medicine and as fashion accessories, particularly in China and Vietnam. The large-scale illegal trade in Asian pangolins is drastically driving down their numbers, and pangolin trafficking is now huge (and illegal) business.

Is a pangolin a dinosaur?

Also known as 'scaly anteaters' pangolins are the world's only truly scaly mammals. The word "pangolin" comes from the Malay word "pengguling", meaning "something that rolls up". Pangolins have been described variously as 'walking pinecones', 'artichokes with tails' and looking like 'modern day dinosaurs'.

What do the Chinese do with pangolins?

The animals are trafficked mainly for their scales, which are believed to treat a variety of health conditions in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and as a luxury food in Vietnam and China. In Africa, pangolins are sold as a form of bushmeat, for ritual or spiritual purposes, and use in traditional African medicine.

Are armadillo and pangolin the same?

Although they may look similar, pangolins and armadillos do not share a similar lineage. Pangolins, which get their name from an Ancient Greek word that means “clad in scales,” belong to the order Pholidota. While many families used to exist within this order, now only one extant family remains, Manidae.

Which animal skin is bulletproof?

Armadillo

Since the shell is composed of lots of small osteoderms, the skin is still flexible. The armadillo can roll itself into a protective ball. Urban legends say that armadillos are bulletproof because people have “seen” bullets ricocheting off the balled-up animals.

Which animal has the strongest skin?

#1 Crocodile

Take a look at the back and tail of a crocodile and you'll see why these creatures are a must-have on a list of animals with the toughest skin. This reptile's skin has been compared to a suit of armor. The bony structures on a crocodile's back, tail, and head are called scutes.

Is a hippo bulletproof?

Hippo skin is thick compared to so many animals. Their skin can even tolerate gunshots. But they aren't bulletproof. With some larger bullets, they can be killed.

Are pangolins good to eat?

Their scales are unique among mammals. Surprisingly, as I can attest, once well-cooked, pangolin scales are edible, if rather tasteless . Pangolins are one of the many species traded to the innumerable shops in China that sell exotic animals, both dead and alive.

Do pangolins bite?

They are so tough that even lions can't bite through them! To protect themselves, pangolins can roll up into a near-perfect ball, covering their faces and undersides. When fully extended, a pangolin's tongue can reach over 40cm! Pretty useful given they don't have any teeth so they can't chew.

Does pangolin eat gold?

In Zimbabwean folklore, it is said that Pangolins are the source of alluvial gold, turning the ants they feed on into the precious metal.