There are eight pangolin species in the world – four in Africa and four in Asia. Vietnam in particular is home to two pangolin species: the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) and Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica).
All eight species of pangolin are on the verge of extinction due to hunting and habitat loss. They are considered the most trafficked mammal in the world due to the high demand for their scales in traditional medicine (TM) and their meat as exotic food. For more information about pangolins in Vietnam, click here.
Vietnam, which serves as China’s back door for the illegal wildlife trade, is regarded as a major player in the global pangolin trade. Each year, tonnes of pangolin scales are illegally imported from African nations into Vietnam before being exported to China. Pangolins are also hunted in Cambodia and Laos and sold to Vietnamese traffickers, who then transport them through Vietnam to China.
Working with lawmakers, our team has pushed for strict pangolin protection in Vietnam, and we have put a permanent stop to the sale of confiscated pangolins. Our team has also been successful in eliminating large-scale pangolin farming practices across the country, despite the fact that some provinces had previously issued legal papers allowing the farming of pangolins for commercial purposes. Moreover, our team has created a new precedent in criminally punishing pangolin traffickers across the country.