Falling In Love Again.... On The Frontline Of Pangolin Protection

Believe it or not, the pangolin is the world’s most trafficked mammal. Photographer ADRIAN STEIRN recently documented the work being done in Zimbabwe to rehabilitate rescued animals.

- Adrian Steirn

As the sky turns from blue to orange in the Zimbabwe bush, a cool breeze blows away the scorching heat of the afternoon, ushering in the night. A small brown animal, the only mammal covered in scales, rustles through the grass. Little does it know that it walks the path of extermination.

There hasn’t been a more dangerous time to be a pangolin. The species has become the most trafficked mammal in the world. Conservative estimates say 10 000 are trafficked annually, some go much higher. The majority are shipped to China and Vietnam, where their scales and meat are sold. All eight species of pangolin in Africa and Asia now feature on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List of animals threatened with extinction. To try to stop extinction, a total ban on trading all species of pangolin was unanimously agreed on at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) in Johannesburg in September, 2016.