Fighting for the Pangolin

Photo Credit: Pinterest

After my trip to South Africa this summer, my eyes were opened to the horrors of poaching. Animals being slaughtered for a single horn or tusk, or scale, to make a quick buck. The ruthlessness of what people do to these animals in order to get what they want is horrible. One of the species we talked about was called a pangolin. I had heard of them before, but I never knew the threats and mistreatment they face.  

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

What is a pangolin you may be wondering? They are scaled mammals with a soft belly, that when threatened roll into an armored ball (Pangolin Facts...). This makes them easy targets for poachers who can just pick them right up. While they may look like lizards or armadillos, they are more closely related to your dog or cat than to reptiles and armadillos (Pangolin Facts...).

Pangolins are the most trafficked animals in the world, even though a large number of people don't even know what they are (Morris). As the demand and poaching of pangolins grow, their numbers dwindle. There are 8 different species of pangolin, all of which or deemed vulnerable to endangered (Pangolin). Two of these eight were named critically endangered by the IUCN and were added to their Red List of Threatened Species (Pangolin).

Photo Credit: Dan Bennett

Between the years 2011 and 2013, through law enforcement busts alone, roughly 116,990 to 233,980 pangolins were estimated to have been killed for their scales and body parts (Pangolin). Given that only about 10% of trafficking is caught, the estimated total of pangolins killed is much higher (Pangolin). Between the years 2000 and 2013, around one million pangolins were poached and trafficked (Pangolin Facts...). As Jeff Flocken, the director of North America’s International Fund for Animal Welfare, states “The threat is significant and escalating, due to the high demand for consumption, they are disappearing,” (Qtd in Morris).

Photo Credit: Kenneth Cameron

You may be wondering why pangolins are in such high demand, and the answer is simple... their scales. They are popular in Asian culture for their use as jewelry, medication, and in some cases even food (Morris). Even though their scales are made of the same material as our fingernails, keratin, people continue to believe that the scales have healing properties (Pangolin Facts...).

Pangolins are an important part of Asia and Africa’s ecology. They primarily eat termites and ants. This is helpful for local people, if there weren’t pangolins their farms and houses would be at risk of termite infestation. Unfortunately for the pangolin, this specific diet makes it hard to keep them in captivity or in sanctuaries. 

Unfortunately, there isn’t much as an individual that we can do to help this problem, but by spreading awareness and speaking out against poaching and animal trafficking all around the world maybe we can start to make a difference. While there are laws in place perhaps there is more we can do to help these defenseless creators. We should remember the pangolin and the troubles they are facing to strengthen our defense against the poaching of other animals. Nobody knows how many pangolins are left in the wild, or how much longer they’ll be around. Let's not let this happen to any other animal, humanity doesn’t need the death of any more species on our hands. Remember the pangolin’s story and help contribute to a happy ending. 

  

Works Cited

Bennett, Dan. Myanmar Illicit Endangered Wildlife Market. 18 Apr. 2008. Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangolin_trade. Accessed 16 Dec. 2019.

Cameron, Kenneth. Confiscated pangolin scales set to be destroyed in Cameroon in 2017. 17 Feb. 2017. Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangolin_trade#/media/File:Pangolin_scale_burn_in_Cameroon._Credit-_Kenneth_Cameron_-_USFWS_(2)_(32575640450).jpg. Accessed 16 Dec. 2019.

Ghana Pangolins. 18 Feb. 2017. Wikimedia Commons, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ghana_Pangolins_USAmb_2017-02-18_B001.jpg. Accessed 16 Dec. 2019.

Morris, Lulu. "What is the World's Most Poached Animal?" National Geographic, 9 May 2017, www.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/what-is-the-worlds-most-poached-animal.aspx. Accessed 16 Dec. 2019.

"Pangolin." World Wildlife Foundation, www.worldwildlife.org/species/pangolin#. Accessed 16 Dec. 2019.

"Pangolin Facts and Information." National Geographic, www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/group/pangolins/. Accessed 16 Dec. 2019.

Tree or African White-bellied Pangolin. Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/pin/219128338092774003/. Accessed 16 Dec. 2019.

How Our Natural World Rewards Us For Our Effort To Help

Photo Credit: NPS Photo

This past summer Boston was able to see the effect that their work has done for the environment. Over the past few decades Boston has been working to clean up the harbor and on July 2nd, 2019, they were rewarded for their efforts with the birth of four piping plovers (Wu). The first to hatch in the past three decades. This event was brought to my attention after reading Sarah Wu's article, Endangered Piping Plovers Hatch in Boston for First Time in Decades. After reading this I began to look for other places where a similar event had occurred, and the results were global. Nature has been rewarding us and thanking us for our efforts in small ways all across the world, especially in Africa.

We see this when looking at endangered African wild dogs. In an attempt to restore a population of dogs to Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park a pack of 14 was released from rehab (Angier). The alpha female of the pack was pregnant when released, unfortunately, her first litter didn't survive. That didn't stop this pack, in the summer of 2019, the packs alpha female gave birth to 11 healthy pups, 10 of which survived (Angier). The pack wasn't limited to this birth, the beta female also gave birth to 8 pups, which the pack was happy to accept (Angier). This success was another example of nature showing us that our efforts are worth it and that we can be rewarded for those efforts. The park's dog population has grown from 0 to 50 in the last few years and continues to expand, proving that our efforts have been put to use (Angier). 

Photo Credit: Anastasia Miller

Not only have wild dogs started a comeback due to human action, but African vulture safe zones have begun to pop up across South Africa helping the population grow. Vulture populations of Africa have dwindled by 62% in the last thirty years (Kockott and Carnie). This past November one of five planned vulture safe zones was opened in Howick, South Africa (Kockott and Carnie). In the years to follow these openings it is projected for vulture populations to grow.


If we continue our effort, nature will reward us once again. As we set up different projects to help our environment the world becomes a better place for us to live. By cleaning our coasts and atmosphere we are given a hospitable place to live. By conserving our animal populations we are given beautiful biodiversity to admire and learn from. 

Works Cited

Angier, Natalie. "Wild Pups Romp Again in an African Paradise." The New York Times, 3 Aug. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/08/03/science/african-dogs-pups-gorongosa.html. Accessed 9 Dec. 2019.

Kockott, Fred, and Tony Carnie. "Lift-off for first African vulture safe zones." Mongabay, 28 Nov. 2019, news.mongabay.com/2019/11/lift-off-for-first-african-vulture-safe-zones/. Accessed 9 Dec. 2019.

NPS Photo. A newly hatched piping plover chick rests. National Park Service, www.nps.gov/gate/learn/news/plover-eggs-stolen.htm. Accessed 10 Dec. 2019.

Wu, Sarah. "Endangered piping plovers hatch in Boston for the first time in decades." The Boston Globe [Boston], 2 July 2019. Boston Globe, www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/07/02/endangered-piping-plovers-hatch-boston-for-first-time-decades/QrlnnjA0ytY5pFdhAaVkTN/story.html. Accessed 4 Dec. 2019.

How Nature Rewards Us For Our Efforts to Help

Photo Credit: NPS Photo

This past summer Boston was able to see the effect that their work has done for the environment. Over the past few decades Boston has been working to clean up the harbor and on July 2nd, 2019, they were rewarded for their efforts with the birth of four piping plovers (Wu). The first to hatch in the past three decades. This event was brought to my attention after reading Sarah Wu's article, Endangered Piping Plovers Hatch in Boston for First Time in Decades. After reading this I began to look for other places where a similar event had occurred, and the results were global. Nature has been rewarding us and thanking us for our efforts in small ways all across the world, especially in Africa.

We see this when looking at endangered African wild dogs. In an attempt to restore a population of dogs to Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park a pack of 14 was released from rehab (Angier). The alpha female of the pack was pregnant when released, unfortunately, her first litter didn't survive. That didn't stop this pack, in the summer of 2019, the packs alpha female gave birth to 11 healthy pups, 10 of which survived (Angier). The pack wasn't limited to this birth, the beta female also gave birth to 8 pups, which the pack was happy to accept (Angier). This success was another example of nature showing us that our efforts are worth it and that we can be rewarded for those efforts. The park's dog population has grown from 0 to 50 in the last few years and continues to expand, proving that our efforts have been put to use (Angier). 

Photo Credit: Anastasia Miller

If we continue our effort, nature will reward us once again. As we set up different projects to help our environment the world becomes a better place for us to live. By cleaning our coasts and atmosphere we are given a hospitable place to live. By conserving our animal populations we are given beautiful biodiversity to admire and learn from. 

Not only have wild dogs started a comeback due to human action, but African vulture safe zones have begun to pop up across South Africa helping the population grow. Vulture populations of Africa have dwindled by 62% in the last thirty years (Kockott and Carnie). This past November one of five planned vulture safe zones was opened in Howick, South Africa (Kockott and Carnie). In the years to follow these openings it is projected for vulture populations to grow.

Works Cited

Angier, Natalie. "Wild Pups Romp Again in an African Paradise." The New York Times, 3 Aug. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/08/03/science/african-dogs-pups-gorongosa.html. Accessed 9 Dec. 2019.

Kockott, Fred, and Tony Carnie. "Lift-off for first African vulture safe zones." Mongabay, 28 Nov. 2019, news.mongabay.com/2019/11/lift-off-for-first-african-vulture-safe-zones/. Accessed 9 Dec. 2019.

NPS Photo. A newly hatched piping plover chick rests. National Park Service, www.nps.gov/gate/learn/news/plover-eggs-stolen.htm. Accessed 10 Dec. 2019.

Wu, Sarah. "Endangered piping plovers hatch in Boston for the first time in decades." The Boston Globe [Boston], 2 July 2019. Boston Globe, www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/07/02/endangered-piping-plovers-hatch-boston-for-first-time-decades/QrlnnjA0ytY5pFdhAaVkTN/story.html. Accessed 4 Dec. 2019.

Our Plastic Shouldn't Be Nature's Problem

Photo Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters

After watching a Ted Talk with Andrew Forrest titled, A Radical Plan to End Plastic Waste, I began to think about the effect our waste has on the environment around us. Last week I talked about climate change and the ways an individual can help. This week my focus is on speaking up for wildlife that can't speak up for themselves.

Plastic covers our planet, harming all kinds of wildlife. It fills our oceans killing large amounts of our marine animals. In an article published by the Australian Museum, they state several facts about plastic. One of these facts reads, "An estimated 14 billion pounds of trash, much of it plastic is dumped in the world's oceans every year." Another astonishing fact released by the Earth Day Network reads that every day nearly 500 million straws are used every day in America alone (Fact Sheet: End...). This amount of waste leads to patches of the ocean being covered in plastic. The largest of these patches is called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, it is roughly double the size of Texas (The Great Pacific...). Not only is it large in surface area, but it also has a mass of roughly 100 thousand tons ( The Great Pacific...).  When it comes to depth of the trash it can vary from a few centimeters to meters (Great pacific Garbage...). This mass of garbage floats on top of the water where it slowly degrades into microplastics, which are pieces of plastic that are less than one-fifth of an inch in size (We Know Plastic...). . 

Photo Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region

Now you may be wondering how this affects marine life, one way is through sunlight. The size and thickness of the patch block sunlight from algae and plankton (Great pacific Garbage...). When these producers are kept from fulfilling their duties, such as producing nutrients, the food web is thrown off (Great pacific Garbage...). Marine animals that depend on these nutrients such as jellyfish and fish are depended on by animals such as whales and turtles. By harming the plankton and algae a chain reaction is set off that throws off the balance of the ecosystem. 

Photo Credit: Skeeze 

Another reason this plastic is harming our oceans is through microplastic, and this comes from any plastic, not just the patch. Plastic in the ocean is breaking down and smaller fish are eating them mistakingly for food (Ocean Life Eats...). In some cases, it is found that animals as large as whales have mistaken the plastic bits as food ( We Know Plastic...). As bigger fish eat the small fish they get a build-up of microplastics inside of them, and then they are eaten by bigger fish, and the build-up continues until the fish get to us (Microplastics Endanger All...).  It is proven that microplastics have clogged digestive tracts of marine animals and alters eating habits (We Know Plastic...). Some believe that this build-up becomes toxic by the time it reaches our plates (Microplastics Endanger All...). 

We need to be more conservative with our plastic. It is already harming marine life, and it is making its way back to us. Instead of buying bottled water use a reusable bottle. Bring your own reusable bags while grocery shopping. When you get a drink using a reusable straw, or no straw at all. We can all help in little ways that make a big difference. Think of the smaller you have individually on the environment and do what you can to make that impact smaller, for cleaner water and happier fish.

Photo Credit: Peak PX

Works Cited

"Fact Sheet: End Plastic Pollution." Earth Day Network, 7 Mar. 2018, www.earthday.org/2018/03/07/fact-sheet-end-plastic-pollution/. Accessed 25 Nov. 2019.

Galeon, Dom. "Microplastics Endanger All Marine Life, From Fish to Top Predators." Futurism, 22 Feb. 2018, futurism.com/microplastics-endanger-marine-life-fish-predators. Accessed 25 Nov. 2019.

"Great Pacific Garbage Patch." National Geographic, www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/great-pacific-garbage-patch/. Accessed 25 Nov. 2019.

"The Great Pacific Garbage Patch." The Ocean Clean Up, theoceancleanup.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch/. Accessed 25 Nov. 2019.

"Interesting plastic facts." Australian Museum, 22 Apr. 2010, australianmuseum.net.au/blog-archive/science/interesting-plastic-facts/. Accessed 25 Nov. 2019.

Marine, Tropical, Fish, Underwater, underwater, undersea. Peak PX, www.peakpx.com/630094/marine-tropical-fish-underwater-underwater-undersea. Accessed 25 Nov. 2019.

Parker, Laura. "Ocean Life Eats Tons of Plastic—Here's Why That Matters." National Geographic, www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/08/ocean-life-eats-plastic-larvaceans-anchovy-environment/. Accessed 25 Nov. 2019.

Royte, Elizabeth. "We Know Plastic Is Harming Marine Life. What About Us?" National Geographic, June 2018, www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/06/plastic-planet-health-pollution-waste-microplastics/. Accessed 25 Nov. 2019.

Skeeze. Humpback Whale Breaching Jumping. Pixabay, pixabay.com/photos/humpback-whale-breaching-jumping-1945416/. Accessed 25 Nov. 2019.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters. Beach Strewn with Plastic Debris. 14 Sept. 2009. Wikimedia Commons, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beach_strewn_with_plastic_debris_(8080500982).jpg. Accessed 25 Nov. 2019.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region. Hawksbill Sea Turtle. 16 June 2011. Flickr, www.flickr.com/photos/usfwssoutheast/5840602412. Accessed 25 Nov. 2019.

Workrinoj. Monkey Wild Animal. Pixabay, pixabay.com/photos/monkey-wild-animal-jungle-mammal-4576737/. Accessed 25 Nov. 2019.

How Changing Your Diet Could Change The World

Photo Credit: Nat Geo Explorers

After reading an article written by Julia Jacobo, What you can do to help prevent climate change, according to experts. I began to think about ways I could help. One of the ideas presented in the article was to spread awareness about the problems our world is facing and different ways to help, so that is what I'm here to do.

We've almost all heard about climate change; by now you hear the words "climate change" and you just shrug. There's nothing an individual can do and because of that, it isn't your problem, or the government needs to do something. These are all thoughts that may run through your head when you hear about climate change, but if you're thinking this... you're wrong.

As an individual, there are many things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint. The government doesn't need to step in for people to take matters into their own hands. One big thing you can do as an individual is to eat less meat. I'm not saying to become a vegetarian or a vegan and ban meat altogether, just eat less of it.

In a study done by the Journal of Scientific Reports, "if everyone in the country reduced their consumption of beef, pork, and poultry by a quarter and substituted plant proteins, we’d save about 82 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year" (qtd in Mock and Schwartz). Not only would the cut back allow for a decrease in carbon emissions but it would also open up a lot of land (Mock and Schwartz). The new land would allow space for a variety of uses. Planting more trees is an option that would help with the control of greenhouse gases (Mock and Schwartz). Another idea presented in The Lancet, a British medical journal, is to use for the land is to produce more plant-based foods for our growing population (qtd in Gibbens).

Photo Credit: GivingCompass

Not only would eating less meat help the environment and open up more land to grow food for the coming generations, but limiting your waste would help as well. The US wastes a large percent of our food, at around 30%; by limiting this waste we can get the most out of what we have (Gibbens). Some people may think that by buying more plant-based foods and wasting less they would have to change their lifestyle and spending habits but this isn't true. Kathryn Kellogg, author of 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste, explains how, "There's so many creative ways to use our food to prevent waste, and I feel like most people just don’t know about them" (qtd in Gibbens). She says she manages to get by with just $250 a month (Gibbens).

These two contributions may seem small but everything counts. By limiting your meat consumption you are taking a step to help climate change. By limiting your waste, you are taking a step in helping the natural world. You too can spread the news, tell your friends and family, together the difference only gets bigger and bigger. Let's take matters into our own hands and take the first step on the road to saving our planet.

Works Cited

Gibbons, Sarah. "Eating meat has 'dire' consequences for the planet, says report." National Geographic, 16 Jan. 2019, www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/01/commission-report-great-food-transformation-plant-diet-climate-change/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2019.

Jacobo, Julia. "What you can do to help prevent climate change, according to experts." ABC News, 28 Sept. 2019, abcnews.go.com/US/prevent-climate-change-experts/story?id=65721423. Accessed 15 Nov. 2019.

Mock, Jillian, and John Schwartz. "Also this week, how an economic downturn could affect climate change." The New York Times, 29 Aug. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/08/21/climate/what-if-we-all-ate-a-bit-less-meat.html. Accessed 15 Nov. 2019.

Nat Geo Explorers. "If you're looking for just one thing to do to combat climate change, says @Enric_Sala, 'eat more vegetables and less meat.' #BeforetheFlood." Twitter, 27 Oct. 2016, 8:02 am, twitter.com/ NatGeoExplorers/status/791656372421201920.

"Seeing Is Believing: Using Technology To Highlight Climate Change Effects."givingcompass, givingcompass.org/article/flir-technology-new-technology-shines-a-camera-on-greenhouse gas-emissions/. Accessed 15 Nov. 2019.