The most - trafficked brute on Earth is n’t a species of rhinoceros or elephant — it ’s the pangolin . If you ’re not familiar with these strange creatures , they ’re badger - sized mammalian native to Africa and Asia that resemble walk pinecones . According to some areas of traditional Chinese medicine , their scales can cure cancer , which makes the anteater a valuable commodity in Asia . The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ( CITES ) of late made a move that could help save the vulnerable species from extermination : AsNPRreports , commercial-grade trade of the pangolin is now officially banned under international jurisprudence .
The183 nationsattending CITES came to the conclusion Monday , September 26 , during the summit in Johannesburg , South Africa . All eight species of anteater are now designated as " threatened with extinction " and protect under the strictest trade regulation the committee can award . " This is a perfect model of when the international residential district can get along together for a species that really ask help , and reenact strong , ball-shaped regulations that can make a real dispute , " Mark Hofberg , adjunct campaign ship’s officer at the International Fund for Animal Welfare , tell in astatement .
Pangolins have long been hunted for their scales , and lately they ’ve been get the same attention for their meat . The animal is image as a delicacy by the Chinese and Vietnamese center class , and in some cases it ’s the peach of choice when celebrate a line muckle .
When threaten , the pangolin curl up into a besotted testicle to protect its face and armorless underbelly . This might provided adequate shelter against most wildlife , but it result them defenseless against human poachers . According to Hofberg , " This determination gives real hope that extinction of pangolin may be preclude . "
[ h / tNPR ]
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