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A CITES report reveals over 500,000 pangolins were seized globally from 2016 to 2024.
China and Vietnam emerged as major destinations, and African countries as primary sources.
There is a need for better enforcement and species identification to combat trafficking.
Over half a million pangolins were illegal trade seizures in just eight years, a new global report has noted.
The new CITES report, Conservation Status, Trade and Enforcement Efforts for Pangolins revealed that between 2016 and 2024, pangolin sales accounted for nearly 99 per cent of all confiscated parts.
The report also throws light on new data and information on the scale and trafficking routes enabling the trade. It noted that overexploitation for illegal, international trade in parts including scales, use and trade at local and sub-national levels and large-scale habitat loss across their ranges have contributed in keeping all eight pangolin species threatened, facing a high, very high or extremely high risk of extinction as per the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species assessments in 2019.
The placental mammals are covered in overlapping scales composed of keratin, except for the ventral surface and face. They are identified into eight extant species, four of which are native to Asia — Chinese pangolin (M pentadactyla), Sunda pangolin (M javanica), Indian pangolin (M crassicaudata), and Philippine pangolin (M culionensis).
The other four are native to Africa — white-bellied pangolin M tricuspis, black-bellied pangolin M tetradactyla, giant pangolin M gigantea and Temminck’s pangolin M temminckii.
The Temminckii pangolin, the only species found in South Africa, is projected to decline by 30-40 per cent over the next three generations due to illegal wildlife trafficking, according to a statement from non-profit WILDAFRICA.
The CITES report stated, “There were 2,222 seizures of pangolins and their parts in 49 countries involving an estimated 553,042 pangolins during the period 2016-2024. Seizures made in 10 countries accounted for 96 per cent of all seized pangolins in this period. Based on the available data, at least 74 countries were identified to be involved in illegal pangolin trade, which involved at least 178 unique trade routes.”
China and Viet Nam were the main alleged destinations for illegally traded pangolin parts. Nigeria, Mozambique, Cameroon and the Congo were main countries of alleged origin for illegal pangolin trade, noting that alleged origin and the actual wild source of pangolins are likely different for almost all reported pangolin seizures, it said.
The authors of the report observed that it is difficult to determine trends in illegal trade in pangolins and their parts without accounting for inherent biases in seizure data, but it is evident that such illegal trade is ongoing, involves all eight pangolin species, and occurs in many countries.
On a positive note, of the total 2,222 seizures, about 59 per cent were reported to species level an increase from 40 per cent in the previous report on pangolins to CITES in 2021. The reporting indicated that Parties may be becoming more adept at identifying different pangolin species in trade.
However, 83 per cent of trafficked quantities (estimated number of pangolins involved in trade) were not identified to the species level. Live animals and skins were more likely to be identified to the species level, while all other specimens, including scales, were less likely to be identified to the species level, it observed adding that seizures were more likely to be identified to the species level if they took place on the African continent.
“Manis tricuspis was the most trafficked species in terms of quantities, while M temminckii was the species involved in most seizure incidents. The lack of species-specific knowledge on the threat of trafficking to pangolins continues to hinder implementation of appropriate and effective behaviour change and other management interventions,” it said.
The report stated that eleven Parties reported limited demand for pangolins and their parts, as well as limited efforts to regulate these markets.
“Demand exists for pangolin meat, scales and medicinal products containing pangolins, among other parts. Several countries have taken measures to control the trade in pangolins in the last five years, including Angola, China, Liberia, Lithuania, Singapore, the US and Viet Nam. Notably, China has taken measures to better regulate legal trade in pangolin scales and products containing scales, but has not closed domestic markets,” it found.
India is a critical range state for pangolins, home to two of the eight recognised species: The Indian and Chinese pangolins.
Indian pangolin is widely distributed across the country, from the foothills of the Himalayas to the southern tip, though it is generally absent from the northeastern states. It has been recorded in diverse regions, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and West Bengal.
While the Chinese pangolin is found in the northern and northeastern parts of India, including Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam (Manas National Park), Sikkim and Neora Valley National Park in West Bengal.
In Odisha, Indian pangolins have been confirmed in 14 out of 30 districts based on rescue data. Whereas in Maharashtra, research in the Chiplun taluka (Ratnagiri district) found the Indian pangolin present in 90 out of 164 villages.
Camera traps and community knowledge have also confirmed presence of Chinese pangolins in the Kaziranga-Karbi-Anglong and Manas-Bhutan landscapes of Assam and Eastern Ghats.
While not a primary global hub, India remains a destination for illegal shipments. For instance, Bhutan reported a seizure of scales specifically destined for India. Globally, only 11 seizure incidents specifically identified the Indian pangolin, involving an estimated 193 animals, which is much lower than the 80,077 estimated white-bellied pangolins seized in the same period.
Unlike some countries that reported no domestic demand, scientific literature confirms that domestic markets for pangolins continue to exist in India, a challenge shared by most range states in southeast Asia and west and central Africa.
However, like many countries, India’s national population estimates are outdated. Its 2021 reporting to CITES categorised both native species as ‘Data Deficient’. While range states like Singapore, Thailand and Zimbabwe submitted comprehensive information for the most recent 2025 CITES report, India was not among the 27 Parties that provided data for that specific reporting cycle.
The CITES report said that based on information from nine Parties, at least 709 arrests were made since January 2, 2017, resulting in at least 188 convictions. Most arrests were made in African pangolin range states, particularly Zimbabwe (541 arrests).
