Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, pangolins have been in the spotlight due to studies that suggest they could have been an intermediary host for the virus. This week pangolin scales were removed from an official 2020 listing of ingredients approved for use in Traditional Chinese Medicine. WildAid has been on the front lines of the fight for pangolins since 2016, working to protect the critically endangered mammal from illegal trade and consumption. 

This delisting comes just a few days after China’s government raised the national protection status of pangolins to the highest level, giving pangolins the same protection as the Giant Panda, with a penalty of 10 years imprisonment for those caught hunting, killing, smuggling or trading them.

Pangolins have become a conservation priority globally in recent years as they are the most highly trafficked wild mammal, with upwards of 200,000 consumed annually for their meat and scales in parts of Asia.