In its effort to control illegal wildlife trafficking, the Pangolin Conservation Working Group Nigeria (PCWGN) has called for more serious punishment for those convicted of dealing in pangolin scales, elephant ivory, rhino horn and other animal products of endangered species.
The chairperson for the PCWGN, professor Olajumoke Morenikeji, made this call for tougher penalties stating that the judicial system in Nigeria needs to be serious about Wildlife laws and that there should be prosecution, conviction and then the punishment for any traffickers.
Pangolins are the only mammal in the world to be covered from head to toe in keratin scales (the same as human fingernails). The scales of these scaly-skinned mammals account for up to 20% of a Pangolin’s entire weight.
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They are one of the most trafficked mammals in the world with demand primarily in Asia and Africa, they are in high demand in countries like China and Vietnam for their meat that is considered a delicacy and their scales are used in traditional medicine while America’s demands for their skins to make leather products like boots, bags, and belts.
Morenikeji urged the general public to contact the conservation body through its social media platforms anytime pangolins are sighted in the illegal trade, adding that the group has rescued nine live pangolins from poachers recently and that three out of the rescued pangolins have died due to bad handlings by poachers and the other six have been rehabilitated and released into a protected forest area.
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“As a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), we need to do our bit as a Country. There is a need to target people higher up the poaching chain, this is the only way we can replenish the wild. Let us protect these inheritances given free by nature” she said.
