Illegal pangolin trade continues unabated in India

The frequency and volume of illegal trade in pangolins, the most trafficked mammals in the world, have increased in India in the last decade, analysis of recent seizure data reveals¹.

A review of pangolin seizure incidents in India between 1991 and 2022 has put the focus back on the continuing illegal trade of the species. The analysis by World Animal Protection, Monitor Conservation Research Society, Oxford Wildlife Trade Research Group, Wildlife Protection Society of India and Wildlife Conservation Research Unit of Oxford University collated 426 seizures involving an estimated 8,603 pangolins.

The large volume of seizures could be due to various factors including rising poaching and trade, increased law enforcement and reporting, and awareness, according to the researchers.

India is home to the endangered Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), and the critically endangered Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla).

Investigations by the Wildlife Protection Society of India indicate that the escalating poaching and trade in live pangolins is led by market demands from outside India. Wildlife crime enforcement efforts in India were undermined by low prosecution rates, as only 1.4% of recorded pangolin seizures resulted in successful convictions.

Asian pangolins have rapidly disappeared from their natural range and are locally extinct in many parts of East and Southeast Asia. India’s two pangolin species face similar risk if poaching and trafficking for scales, meat and body parts continue at current levels.

In the 426 documented seizures, at least 5,788.94 kg and 4,796 individual pangolin scales, 30 kg of meat, 192 live pangolins, 72 claws, 7 skins, 5 dead pangolins, 1 scale ring, 1 skin/scale/bone and 1 trophy were confiscated. There were a further 22 incidents where no quantities were reported for pangolin-related commodities seized, i.e., three incidents involving meat, one incident involving claws and 18 incidents involving scales. The incidents accounted for a total of 8,603 pangolins.

Most seizures of pangolins occurred in the heartland of India, particularly the states of Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. Enhanced enforcement efforts could account for more seizures in these states, among the top five states with the largest forest cover in the country, according to the Forest Survey of India in 2021. The greatest volume of pangolins was seized in the eastern and northeastern states of West Bengal, Manipur, Mizoram, and Assam. An estimated 3312 pangolins were seized in Manipur alone.

These states also border Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Nepal and are considered prominent trade routes in the trafficking of pangolin scales and other illicit wildlife products from India into China. At least three pangolin seizure incidents confirmed this link with China, Myanmar, and Nepal as final trade destinations. In addition, in two other seizure incidents, a Bhutanese and a Burmese national were arrested in India for illegal possession of pangolin scales, further linking these two countries in the illegal trade of pangolins to or from India.

There have also been reports of numerous pangolin seizures in the Chandel district of Manipur and the Champhai district of Mizoram, which are known trafficking routes in smuggling wildlife into Myanmar. In addition, pangolin seizures are reported in West Bengal, especially the Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts, transit points for Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Nepal. China is still one of the most significant end destinations in the illegal international trade of pangolins.

The international commercial trade in pangolins is strictly regulated through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). In 2000, a zero-export quota was established. However, in 2016, all species were up listed to CITES Appendix I, representing a ban on commercial international trade in this animal and its parts or derivatives.

Although national and regional ban can curtail trade risk globally, to be fully effective and prevent rerouting of trade flows, bans should be global. Lead author of the study, Neil D’Cruze, says enforcing such bans will be challenging and should not be underestimated.

To disrupt pangolin trafficking networks, India needs to bolster cooperation with neighbouring countries and undertake coordinated investigations. The country also needs to put more effort into investigating, recording, and reporting crucial information relevant to pangolin seizures, which is important to monitor and assess illegal trade dynamics and support the conservation of these species.

Continued research into the domestic and international trade of pangolins is also warranted as it will benefit efforts to monitor trade trends and determine conservation strategies. Engagement with hunters and local communities, through education, awareness, behaviour change programmes and alternative livelihood solutions, will also be crucial in mitigating poaching threats to pangolins in India and prevent local hunters from being exploited by wildlife poachers and traders.

Inevitably, for every live pangolin rescued from the illegal wildlife trade, the first priority ought to be releasing the animal in the wild rather than a permanent place in a zoo.