By Zafar Hussain,
China and Pakistan must collaborate to save the Pangolins that is one of the most trafficked
species in the world, said Dr. Tariq Mahmood from PMAS Arid Agriculture University
Rawalpindi, on the occasion of "World Pangolin Day. “World Pangolin Day 2021” was celebrated, at the PMAS Arid Agriculture University
Rawalpindi, Pakistan, with the collaboration of WWF-Pakistan and different government
organizations.
One good imitative that has been taken by China during COVID-19 that selling ad purchase
of pangolin products including its scales, has been banned by the Chinese government said Dr. Tariq
He further said that the population of the Indian Pangolins has been decreasing at an
alarming rate. In such a scenario and in the context of the China Pakistan Economic
Corridor (CPEC), Pakistan and China can work together to combat the illegal trade of Indian
pangolin more effectively.
Universities in Pakistan and China, as well as relevant wildlife departments of the two
countries, should develop strong bonding for collaborative research in such animal species
and make monitoring process more vigilant to effectively counter the issue of poaching and
illegal trade in Indian pangolin" he mentioned.
Dr Tariq further said that the Indian pangolin has got a history of being poached from
different areas of Pakistan, and smuggled in different countries for being used in traditional
medicines. Many of such illegal traffickers have been caught up by Custom departments and the traffickers confessed to bringing those pangolin scales from Pakistan
On the occasion, speakers said that the animal has a covering of keratinized hard scales
over its body, which protect it from its predators. But on the other hand, these scales have
got a high demand in the illegal black market, where these are used in traditional medicines and are thought of having medicinal values.
The speakers also stated about the situation of huge volume international trade of the
pangolins for their scales across the world and emphasized on conserving all 8 pangolin
species of Africa and Asia including Indian pangolin from Pakistan.
The Vice Chancellor of PMAS Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi Prof. Dr. Qamar-Uz-Zaman was the Chief guest at the occasion
