In December 2019, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration published the Annexes of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) newly revised since the CITES COP18 and a list of wildlife and products banned or restricted by international conventions, following the Item 1, Article 35 of the national Law of Wild Animal Protection

The two papers show a similar description: species, subspecies, and taxa with asterisks indicate that the corresponding creature has been recorded to distribute in China.

Malayan Pangolin and Chinese Pangolin of the eight pangolin species are both included in the two official documents and remarked with an asterisk.

In August 2017, 34 confiscated living Malayan Pangolins were transferred to Guangxi provincial wildlife rescue center, but all died in two months. The official center refused to release the pangolins into the wild as they were considered as invasive species.

On March 25, 2019, Guangdong provincial wildlife rescue center received 21 living Malayan Pangolins by the Customs and declined to release them into wild with the same excuse. In twenty days, 18 pangolins have died. The last three pangolins "Not Move", "Always Sleep" and "Last Night" was rescued by the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) and trained for wild release. The planned seminar on the wild release of Malayan Pangolins in May was postponed. “Last Night” died on June 1. Guangdong provincial wildlife rescue center has not published any hint of information of pangolins yet since the staff took “Always Sleep” and “Last Night” away on July 3.

Relevant departments refuse to release pangolins into nature on the ground of invasive species, and the result is the death of all rescued pangolins. Can it be praised as rescue？

Original Chinese article:

http://www.cbcgdf.org/NewsShow/4854/11334.html

By / Wang Yanqing