Pangolins in West Africa are hunted for meat, not medicine

Pangolins in Nigeria’s Cross River forests are in trouble. Most are killed for supper, not for overseas trade in their scales. A new field survey shows that nearly every pangolin taken from the wild ends up in a cooking pot.

Scientists from the University of Cambridge spent three years talking with more than 800 hunters and traders across 33 villages.

The team estimates that about 21,000 pangolins die each year in the region. Hunters rarely set out to look for them. They pick the animals up by hand while checking snares or working in farm plots.

Almost three-quarters of the meat is eaten by the hunters’ own families, and the rest is sold locally.

Meat is the motive for killing pangolins

Study lead author Dr. Charles Emogor conducted the research while pursuing his PhD in the Department of Zoology at Cambridge.

“Thousands of kilos of pangolin scales are seized at Nigeria’s ports, creating the impression that the international demand for scales is behind pangolin exploitation in West Africa,” said Dr. Emogor.

“When we spoke to hunters and traders on the ground around the Cross River forest, the largest stronghold for Nigeria’s pangolins, it was obvious that meat was the motivation for almost all of the pangolin killings.”

Pangolin scales often hit the bin

Less than a third of the scales from those animals ever reach a trader. Most are tossed aside. Hunters said meat earns three to four times more money per animal than scales do in local markets.

“We found that dedicated pangolin hunts are virtually non-existent. Most pangolins are killed by hunters out for any type of game,” said Dr. Emogor.

“Around a third of pangolins are caught opportunistically, often while people are working in the fields. Pangolins curl into a ball when threatened, which sadly makes them easy to catch.”

A prized taste and old beliefs

Pangolin meat is considered more flavorful than beef, chicken, or even antelope in many villages. It’s sometimes prepared for pregnant women, based on the belief that it promotes strong, healthy babies.

This cultural value, combined with the species’ slow reproductive rate, puts intense pressure on the animal’s survival.

“Pangolins face a lethal combination of threats,” said Dr. Emogor. “Pangolins are easy to hunt, breed slowly, taste good to humans, and are falsely believed to have curative properties in traditional medicines. In addition, their forest habitat is being destroyed.”

Local solutions to save pangolins

Because food is the real pull, the researchers argue that local solutions – better patrols, new bylaws, and help with food security – may cost less and work faster than trying to police international trafficking alone.

“Clearly in designing any intervention we need good information on what’s motivating the hunters,” said study co-author Professor Andrew Balmford. “That’s why studies such as this are vital for effective conservation of endangered species.”

Losing 80 million years of evolution

Dr. Emogor now runs Pangolino, a volunteer network that helps villages write and enforce pangolin-friendly rules. His motivation is personal as well as scientific.

“If we lose the pangolin, we lose 80 million years of evolution,” said Emogor. “Pangolins are the only mammals with scales, and their ancestors existed when dinosaurs still roamed the planet.”

Cameroon, Gabon, and other nations show similar habits: people value pangolins mainly for food. Until diets change or enforcement improves, Africa’s only scaly mammals will keep slipping toward extinction – one meal at a time.

Protecting pangolins and forest life

Efforts to save pangolins must go beyond curbing international trade. Protecting these animals – and the ecosystems they live in – means addressing the local drivers of hunting.

That includes improving food security, offering economic alternatives to bushmeat, and increasing public awareness about the role pangolins play in forest health.

Education and outreach are key. Many hunters don’t realize pangolins are at risk. Some may not know the animals help control insect populations and support ecological balance.

Wildlife conservation groups are working to spread this knowledge, while local governments and partners explore ways to boost law enforcement in remote areas.

Ultimately, protecting pangolins also helps safeguard other species that share their shrinking habitats. When forests are preserved and hunting is managed sustainably, entire ecosystems stand a better chance of survival.

The full study was published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.

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