06/17/2025

U.S. to Add Pangolin, ‘Most Heavily Trafficked Mammal,’ to Endangered List

Fish and Wildlife Service proposed adding seven species of pangolin

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Monday that it plans to declare seven species of pangolin endangered, a move meant to stiffen penalties for those who poach and smuggle “the world’s most heavily trafficked mammal.”

The pangolin, which looks like a cross between an anteater and an armadillo, holds the distinction of being the only mammal on Earth covered head to tail in scales.

But that scaly shield, and people’s quest for it, has led to the undoing of pangolin populations. Demand for both pangolin scales and meat has driven the animal to the edge of extinction — and may have played a role in instigating the coronavirus pandemic.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.