Animal smuggling is very common around the world. Often, forest officials and military forces posted at various borders arrest smugglers. Many animals are valuable because their body parts, such as meat or poison, are used in drug production.
Out of greed, smugglers smuggle these animals from one country to another. For example, earlier snakes were smuggled a lot from India, because their poison was used to make medicines. In some places, snake venom was also used for narcotics. However, today we will tell you about the animal that is smuggled the most around the world.
This Animal Is the Most Trafficked
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, 20% of illegal wildlife trafficking cases worldwide involve pangolins. This is because its scales and meat are used to make traditional medicines.
Pangolins are mammals that resemble armadillos. It is important to note that pangolins have been trafficked around the world for decades. Today, the situation is such that pangolins are now classified as an endangered species.
Why Are Pangolins Smuggled the Most?
Pangolin is a shy, reclusive creature that has been found on Earth for about 60 million years. These animals eat ants. Moreover, one kilogram of pangolin meat can cost up to Rs 27,000. It is sold in many high-end and expensive restaurants, and its meat is soft.
The second biggest use of this animal is in medicine production. Medicines are made from pangolin meat and its scales are used to make many types of medicines. Each medicine is used to treat a specific disease.
Medicines made from pangolin scales, which are the outer hard layer of its body, are like chocolate bars, but they are very hard. They are dissolved in hot water or alcohol and drunk. Currently, pangolins are illegally smuggled to many countries including China.
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