Every February, conservationists and wildlife lovers around the world come together for World Pangolin Month, a time to shed light on one of the most unique and vulnerable creatures on the planet. Pangolins, often called "scaly anteaters," play an essential role in their ecosystems, yet they are being driven toward extinction. They are the most trafficked mammals in the world, taken from the wild in staggering numbers to fuel the illegal wildlife trade. Without urgent action, we may lose them forever.

© Gerald Cubitt

A pangolin’s life is quiet and unassuming. They spend their nights foraging for ants and termites, using their long, sticky tongues to clear out entire nests. Their movements are slow, purposeful. When danger approaches, they do the only thing they know—curl into a tight ball, their tough keratin scales forming an impenetrable shield. This defense has protected them for millions of years. But against humans, it is useless. Poachers simply pick them up and carry them away. Many never return to the wild.

Across Africa and Asia, pangolins are being stolen from their habitats at an alarming rate. Their scales, wrongly believed to have medicinal properties, are ground into powder or boiled into tonics. Their meat is served as a delicacy in exclusive restaurants. Over one million pangolins have been killed in the last decade alone, despite international bans meant to protect them. The demand never seems to slow, and the trade continues in the shadows.

But even in the face of such loss, there is hope. Conservationists and rescue organizations are working tirelessly to save pangolins, nursing survivors back to health and returning them to the wild when possible. Anti-poaching teams risk their lives to intercept traffickers and dismantle smuggling networks. Some pangolins, those lucky enough to be rescued in time, are given a second chance. They are released into protected areas, where they cautiously uncurl and take their first steps toward freedom.

Pangolins cannot fight this battle alone. They need us—to speak for them, to raise awareness, to demand stronger protections. Many people don’t even know pangolins exist, let alone that they are disappearing. This World Pangolin Month, take a moment to learn about these incredible animals. Support conservation groups like the Pangolin Crisis Fund, Save Pangolins, and Wildlife Conservation Network. Refuse to support the illegal wildlife trade in any form. Call for stronger enforcement of anti-poaching laws. Every action, no matter how small, makes a difference.

Pangolins have survived for over 80 million years, outlasting dinosaurs
and ice ages. It would be a tragedy if they did not survive us.

Let’s make sure they do. Happy World Pangolin Month.