What is World Pangolin Day?

Join us in celebrating the 8th annual World Pangolin Day and help us raise awareness of the plight of pangolins! Pangolins are the most trafficked mammal in the world, with conservative estimates suggesting that at least 10,000 pangolins are trafficked each year. Despite this conservation crisis, many people have never even heard of them. These shy animals don’t get the same media coverage that some larger mammals get, and World Pangolin Day was created to raise awareness and support for pangolin conservation.

When is World Pangolin Day?

World Pangolin Day is celebrated on the 3rd Saturday in February and in 2019 is on February 16.

Sunda pangolins are nocturnal creatures and spend most of their day curled up in a ball. This pup was born at our Wildlife Release Station in the Cardamom Rainforest, Cambodia. Mother, Lucy, is a permanent resident at WRS due to her severe injuries. She lost a front and hind foot after getting caught in a poacher’s snare. Father, Thom, was brought to WRS in May 2018. He had wandered into a restaurant in Phnom Penh after, we assume, he escaped a wildlife traders bag! When ready he will be released back into a protected area of the Cardamom Rainforest. This pup was born in September 2018 and is doing very well!

Video shot by Jeremy Holden

The critically endangered Sunda pangolin is a scaly mammal that eats ants and termites and hides in dense forest. They are rarely observed in the wild due to their secretive and solitary habits. Slow moving and lacking teeth, their primary defense is curling up into a ball, making them easy targets for poachers. With over one million trafficked in the past decade, these once common animals are now on the brink of extinction and are classified as critically endangered. In China and Vietnam, their meat is considered a delicacy and is sold for $350 per kg; their scales are used as fashion accessories and in traditional medicine and can be worth up to $1,000 per kg.

Wildlife Alliance has been working since 2001 to end the trade of wildlife in Cambodia and throughout Southeast Asia. Since then, we have rescued over 400 pangolins and 73,000 other animals. However, the international demand remains high and the plight of the pangolin remains a pressing issue, we are on the verge of losing this timid and unique species forever.

Make a difference this World Pangolin Day by making a donation.