Abstract
Pangolins are some of the most trafficked mammals in the world. China is a major destination country for illegal wildlife trade and Guangdong Province is one of the areas of high domestic wildlife consumption. A willingness to consume lies at the root of the illegal wildlife trade. To understand the ideological roots of pangolin consumption, and to propose solutions, we conducted a consumption survey in 21 prefecture-level cities in Guangdong and have collected 1,957 valid questionnaires. In these questionnaires, 108 respondents (5.52%) who had consumed pangolin-related products, scales had been consumed by 61 respondents (3.12%), 58 respondents (2.96%) had consumed meat. We found that scale consumption was primarily motivated by disease treatment (80.43%). The main reason for meat consumption was accidental (44.83%), but among those who intentionally ate pangolin were motivated by curiosity (22.41%) or “showing off” (8.62%). Simultaneously, the respondents' future consumption willingness for medicinal purposes was more difficult to change than its use for other purposes. What's more, the public's insufficient understanding of the status of pangolins in China and weak legal awareness were potential reasons for pangolin consumption. In addition to classifying pangolins as Category I state-protected animals in China and strengthening penalties and enforcement, we recommend creating public awareness of the risk of zoonotic diseases, advocating for the use of alternative medicines in disease treatment and removing scales from ingredients in patented medicines, which will all act to reduce the demand for pangolins. We expect these actions to change public consumption behaviors and their collective understanding of pangolins, which improve pangolin protection efforts around the globe.
Highlights
As economic globalization accelerates, the illegal wildlife trade expands (Chen, 2016)
Our goal was to develop an in-depth understanding of the motivations behind wildlife consumption and targeted strategies
We suggest that using additional local media types including local TV stations to create publicity will help to improve public understanding of pangolins, including their biodiversity value, role in the environment, protected status, population declines, major threats to their survival
Summary
The illegal wildlife trade expands (Chen, 2016). Many different estimates of the worth of the illegal wildlife trade are cited in the literature, it has become one of the most profitable global illegal trades, with an annual value that can reach $20 billion (Chen, 2016; t Sas-Rolfes et al, 2019). A group comprising eight species in the family Manidae (Pholidota, Mammalia), are heavily trafficked primarily for their perceived medicinal and edible value or their use as symbols of wealth and status (Zhou et al, 2014; Shairp et al, 2016). Their scales are considered a rare and precious material in Chinese herbal medicine, and their meat is considered highly nutritious (Wu et al, 2002). As of January 2017, all eight pangolin species were upgraded from Appendix II to Appendix I in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), meaning that all international trade in wild-caught pangolins and their derivatives is prohibited (CITES, 2017)
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