The pangolin is in need of a PR campaign | CD Voice

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Do you know what a pangolin is? A musical instrument, guessed one friend. Term for a baby panda, perhaps? A tropical fruit grown in Indonesia, was another oddly specific response.   

I've been conducting this haphazard survey ever since I came across the pangolin in a story about an illegal wild animal trafficking operation. 

Whilst having a low profile in the general public, it seems the pangolin is well known in the black market trade in dead or live animals. That's right, the pangolin is an animal. Imagine an aardvark with an even more impressive suit of armor and an endearing habit of curling up into a tight ball. 

The very scales designed to protect it from predators are exactly what has made it a target for illegal hunting. Their defense mechanism of rolling up in a ball may be enough to confuse lions, but, in a cruel twist, it makes it easy for hunters to simply pick them up. 

All eight variations of the pangolin from Asia and Africa are now among the most endangered mammals. 

Wildlife organizations estimate 100,000 pangolins are captured each year, fetching up to $3000 a kilo. Pangolin meat is a delicacy and their tough scales are either turned into decoration or dried for use in traditional Chinese medicine. So why hasn't anyone who doesn't want to eat them know about them? 

Clearly, this scaly critter needs better PR. 

Hampering their cause is that you're unlikely to see a pangolin in a zoo. No wild animal enjoys being caged, but it seems the pangolin really can't hack it, becoming stressed, depressed and dying early. It's hard to mount a successful campaign for an animal that 99 percent of the population will never see in real life, let alone be able to have their picture taken with one.  

Perhaps part of the reason they don't fare well in captivity is because not much is known about them. We know they eat ants, but their diet may include all kinds of other bugs. We don't know how long they live in the wild or much about their breeding habits. They are mammals of mystery.

It's a vicious cycle, without much love for the creature, there's little pressure to throw precious scientific research funding dollars at it. 

They haven't been completely forgotten, though. There are admirable and hardworking people dedicated to shutting down the illegal pangolin trade and running rehabilitation centers in Asia on a shoestring budget. There is World Pangolin Day and you can buy a "save pangolins" T-shirt online.  

But without a significant increase in support, these mammals of mystery are at serious risk of disappearing entirely before most people even know they exist. 

It may not be as cute and cuddly as a panda, or as strong as a rhino, but it only takes an online image search to see this peculiar creature has potential. 

They're shy, non-aggressive, and their bizarre scaly shell has earnt them cute nicknames like  "walking pinecone" and "modern day dinosaur". And I haven't even mentioned their super sticky tongue can be longer than their body, ideal for scooping up ants. 

So now the panda is off the endangered list, let's dedicate some of our animal love, and social media feed space, to this bizarre, misunderstood creature.

About the author & broadcaster

Rose Bolger joined China Daily at the start of November 2016 as a copy editor at the website. Having left her home in the small Australian city, Hobart, to move to one of the biggest cities in the world, she's looking forward to exploring Beijing. During her 10-year career as a journalist she has worked for newspapers, radio and television networks.

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