The pangolin is gifted with a unique defence mechanism of rolling into a ball that protects it against predators, but is helpless against better equipped poachers.The toothless mammal, also called scaly ant-eater, was the most traded species in the country last year.
A recent study by TRAFFIC -India, a wildlife crime detection organisation, has revealed that in the last five years 4.3 tonnes of pangolin scales were seized in India, sa d its chief Shekhar Kumar Niraj. In 2011, wildlife authorities seized 1,800 kg of scales in ust one case in Manipur.
Of the two species found n India, the Indian pangolin s spread all over, while the Chinese pangolin (Manispentadactyla) is limited to the northeast. Data about the species is inadequate, making it difficult to assess the impact of trade, Niraj said. The pangolin is mainly sought after for its high-keratin-content scales, removed by immersing the animal in a cauldron of boiling water. While the scales are used in soup, the meat is a delicacy for members of several tribes, he said. The animal is protected under the Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
Anyone found poaching the species can be sentenced up to seven years rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 25,000. A recent intelligence report by enforcement agencies said that many involved in poaching tigers had switched to poaching pangolins due to the huge money it fetched in the international market.
