Endangered pangolins set to be given highest protection status

The world’s most trafficked animal is set to receive the highest level of protection to stop it from going extinct.

Conservationists are aiming to get pangolins listed in Appendix I on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Appendix I would give the cat-sized anteaters the highest protection status, meaning there would be a ban on the international commercial trade of the animals and their parts in all but “exceptional circumstances”.

Endangered: Pangolins are under threat from poachers (Rex)

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Susan Lieberman of the Wildlife Conservation Society said in a statement from Johannesburg, where a world wildlife conference is being held: “This decision will help give pangolins a fighting chance.

"These species need extra protection, and under CITES Appendix I, they will get it.”

Over one million pangolins have been traded illegally over the past 10 years due to their scales being worth millions to poachers who sell them for medicinal purposes.

Their meat is also regarded as a delicacy in Vietnam and parts of China.

Top pic: SWNS