Treasure of Southeast Asia: Rare animal species found in only 9 countries in the world, Vietnam just received good news!

This extremely rare animal only lives in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam.

In a world where unsustainable human consumption continues to push wildlife to the brink of extinction, pangolins have emerged as a focus in efforts to save endangered species from becoming completely extinct in the wild.

A pangolin yawns in the Khamab Kalahari Reserve, South Africa. (Source: Workingwithwildlife).

According to  the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) ,  illegal wildlife trade generates up to $10 billion in profits  each year globally; while illegal timber trade is worth $7 billion each year; and nearly $9.5 billion each year is the huge profit from illegal fisheries.

Combining these figures, all illegal wildlife trade, including fisheries and timber, makes up the fourth largest illegal trade worldwide after drugs, human trafficking and counterfeit goods.

The root cause of the illegal wildlife trade is the growing demand for a wide variety of products around the world : Bushmeat; ingredients for traditional oriental medicine; exotic pets; jewelry, ornaments and accessories such as chess sets; fur for a variety of uses, from coats to traditional costumes.

Sad for pangolins!

This reclusive, solitary, nocturnal animal with few natural predators is being mercilessly killed by humans to create so-called cure-alls.

They are the only mammals completely covered in scales, and they use those scales to protect themselves from predators in the wild. The  overlapping scales are made of keratin – the same hard protein that makes up our fingernails.  These scales act as a nearly impenetrable shield against predators like lions, leopards, and hyenas. When threatened, pangolins will curl up into an extremely tight ball, forming a fortress of hard, sharp scales.

A pangolin curls up in a defensive position. (Photo taken at Khamab Kalahari Conservancy/Workingwithwildlife).

Few people know that each pangolin is capable of consuming enough termites to protect more than 40 acres of land from destruction, which is crucial to the health of the ecosystem. In turn, their protective armor is the reason why these small animals are rapidly declining to the brink of extinction. Pangolins have become the most trafficked wild mammal in the world,  according to WildAid (USA)  .

There are eight species of pangolins in the world. All eight species are listed on  the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, ranging from Critically Endangered/Threatened with Extinction (CR) to Endangered (EN) and Vulnerable to Extinction (VU). All eight species are currently protected under national and international law.

Despite this, pangolin poaching for meat and scales is rampant. Whether in Asia or Africa; whether it is the Sunda pangolin, the yellow pangolin or the giant ground pangolin, all are hunted and killed.

An estimated 116,990 to 233,980 pangolins were killed between 2011 and 2013, Worldwildlife  said, a figure that represents just the tip of the illegal trade. Experts believe that seizures represent only 10 percent of the actual number of pangolins smuggled by global poachers.

So which pangolin species is most endangered?

Javan Pangolin - Treasure in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam

Among the 8 pangolin species in the world, the Javan pangolin (scientific name: Manis javanica) was classified as CR - Critically Endangered/Threatened with Extinction by the IUCN Red List in 2019 because its population has decreased by 80% in the past 21 years.

[There are two other pangolin species also classified as CR by the IUCN Red List: the Philippine pangolin (scientific name: Manis Culionensis) and the Chinese pangolin (scientific name: Manis pentadactyla). However, the scope of this article only focuses on the Javan pangolin].

The Javan pangolin is a species that lives only in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam.

The Sunda pangolin - also known as the Sunda pangolin - is one of four species distributed in Asia (the other four species are distributed in Africa). The Sunda pangolin is a species found only in Southeast Asia, living mainly on the mainland and islands of 9 Southeast Asian countries. Specifically in Vietnam (Central and Southern regions), Myanmar (Central region), Thailand (Southeast), Laos (lowlands), Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei.

The total length from head to tail of an adult Sunda pangolin is about 75 - 121 cm, and the weight reaches 10 kg. Males are larger than females.

The Sunda pangolin is listed as an endangered species in Vietnam , according to the IUCN . In three areas of Vietnam, Khe Net Nature Reserve (Quang Binh); Ke Go Nature Reserve (Ha Tinh); and Song Thanh National Park (Quang Nam), the Sunda pangolin population has been severely depleted due to hunting pressure over the past few decades, especially since around 1990, when the trade in pangolins for their meat, blood, skin, and scales began to escalate.

The species is found in primary and secondary forests, including lowland dipterocarp forests and cultivated areas – including oil palm and rubber plantations – and near human settlements.

Like most pangolins , the Sunda pangolin is largely nocturnal, solitary – except when breeding – and is a specialist ants and termites eater. It is thought to play a role in regulating insect populations. It also eats ant larvae, bee pupae, flies, worms, crickets and other insect larvae, as well as sand and grass.

The Sunda pangolin is a skilled climber and swimmer. (Photo: CC BY-SA 4.0).

The Javan pangolin is known for its excellent climbing and swimming abilities. It appears to be well adapted to wetland ecosystems, such as the U Minh wetlands in Vietnam.

With the goal of protecting the biodiversity of flora and fauna in Southeast Asia in particular and the world in general, all countries where Javan pangolins live are protected by government and law.

Not only that, the Sunda pangolin in particular and pangolins in general are internationally protected. In 2016, a treaty of more than 180 governments announced an agreement to end all legal trade in pangolins and protect the species from extinction.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in collaboration with the NGO Trafficking in Wild Fauna and Flora (TRAFFIC) is working to protect species from wildlife crime.

In Vietnam alone, in 2019, the Government issued Decree 06/2019/ND-CP (effective from March 10, 2019) which classified the Javan pangolin in the List of endangered, precious and rare forest animals, group IB.

Along with being protected by law from poaching and smuggling, Javan pangolins are also cared for by experts and then released back into the wild.

Good news: On November 5, 2024, the Ho Chi Minh City Forest Protection Department coordinated with Phuoc Binh National Park (Ninh Thuan province) to release 19 wild animals into the natural environment, including a rare Javan pangolin.

All these tireless efforts are aimed at protecting the rare Javan pangolin - a treasure of Vietnam, Southeast Asia in particular and the world in general - from the brink of extinction!