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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.

On Friday, November 20th, at 5pm PT/ 8pm ET

Join us virtually to honor 20 years of WildAid. During our one-hour virtual gala, we will look back on our conservation wins and follow this with a glimpse of what's to come with our new campaign to ban wildlife markets. We will be joined by special guests and extraordinary partners during our virtual safari. Our night will culminate with our Fund for the Future: Preventing the Next Pandemic presentation, where you can support our biggest fight yet. Stay tuned for more updates.

On Wednesday, September 9th, at 12pm PT/ 3pm ET

Tune in for our latest webisode to hear updates on COVID-19 and the wildlife trade from those fighting on the front lines. With concerns that poaching may increase again in Africa, investigative journalist Julian Rademeyer will share the latest news on rhino poaching from South Africa. Our team will also provide an update on WildAid's Ivory Demand Reduction campaign that's helped to slash ivory prices. Stay tuned to the end to watch episode four of Djimon Hounsou's A Pangolin's Tale documentary.

Whale sharks and manta rays will receive protection under the new law in Taiwan, increasing penalties for anyone found guilty of disturbing or capturing the animals.

Pangolin scales have been removed from an official 2020 listing of key ingredients approved for use in traditional Chinese medicine pharmacopeia. Although this news is a very positive step towards saving the pangolin worldwide, the next challenge will be removing pangolin scales from patented medicines. 

Greetings,

This is a friendly reminder that you can still sign up for our Year of the Pangolin webinar with best-selling author Amy Tan, WildAid CEO Peter Knights, and WildAid Chief Program Officer John Baker tomorrow, Tuesday, June 16th at 12 (PT). Registration closes at 11 am (PT) on June 16. 

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. Last week pangolin scales were removed from an official 2020 listing of ingredients approved for use in Traditional Chinese Medicine and China's government raised the national protection status of pangolins to the highest level, giving these scaly insect-eaters the same protection as the Giant Panda.

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. None of this work is possible without caring people like you. Thank you for your support.

Photo Credit: Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and Kristian Schmidt

Join WildAid CEO Peter Knights and Yao Family Wines winemaker, Tom Hinde, for a virtual wine tasting on Facebook. We will discuss how travel lockdowns, the loss of tourism revenue, and fewer ''eyes on the ground'' are creating new challenges for protecting Africa''s wildlife.

We have partnered with WildAid Ambassador Yao Ming for more than a decade and are very excited to extend a special offer from him to you.  Now through Thursday, May 28, Yao Family Wines will donate 30% of the sales of their 2016 Napa Crest Red Wine (92 pts) to building local support to protect endangered species and reduce consumer demand for illegal wildlife products.
 

Deep dive into all things pangolin through a series of virtual events with Animalia and Save Pangolins, including a chat with WildAid''s Program Manager Christina Vallianos and Hong Hoang, our partner in Vietnam and Executive Director of CHANGE who will speak on May 28 at 6:30 pm (PDT). We will be discussing our efforts to reduce demand for pangolin products in China and our campaign in Vietnam to permanently shut down wildlife markets. The entire program runs May 26 - June 1.

To learn more about our new initiatives, check out our latest update.

With thanks and best wishes,

Peter Knights

Founder and CEO, WildAid

"Wet markets put side by side species that would never normally mix in the wild."  
- WildAid China Representative Steve Blake 

  "The coronavirus epidemic is swiftly pushing China to reevaluate its relationship with wildlife. There is a high level of risk from this scale of breeding operations both to human health and to the impacts on populations of these animals in the wild." - WildAid China Representative Steve Blake 

San Francisco-based WildAid said Nigeria has become a regional hub for illegal exports of pangolin scales to East Asia, raising risks. Many countries in West and Central Africa are at particular risk, WildAid said, urging them to close down wildlife markets.

"While some communities in Africa might consume wildlife as part of their diet, commercializing the trade, mixing species together and bringing live animals into densely populated urban areas greatly increases the risk of a pandemic." - WildAid Africa Program Director Lindlyn Moma

Greetings,

Please join us on Wednesday, June 24th at 12 pm (PT) to get the latest update on how the global pandemic has impacted poaching followed by a deep dive into our campaign to reduce consumer demand for shark fin.

COVID-19 Update: How is it Affecting Wildlife Poaching?

• Richard Vigne, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Managing Director
• Steve Blake, WildAid's Chief China Representative

• Maggie Q, WildAid ambassador and actress
• Shawn Heinrichs, filmmaker and marine conservationist 

When humans capture wild animals from their natural habitats and sell them for consumption, they put all of us at risk for zoonotic spillover. In the case of COVID-19, evidence shows the virus likely jumped from bats to an intermediate species and eventually to humans. The fallout has been devastating with the loss of loved ones, extreme economic hardship, and tremendous suffering.

Together, we can ensure a pandemic like COVID-19 never happens again by ending the commercial trade and consumption of wildlife. 

Our work has already begun. In Vietnam, WildAid and our local NGO partner, CHANGE, have been working with the government on an intensive month-long effort to provide input that will inform permanent wildlife trade regulations and build broad public support for them. In China, we are building upon our existing campaigns and amplifying government regulations by adding new messaging about pangolins in possible connection with COVID-19. In Africa, we will soon release a short documentary film that highlights the hazards of urban bushmeat markets to both humans and wildlife.

Because this is a global crisis that requires global, urgent action, we have joined with the Pangolin Crisis Fund, Global Wildlife Conservation and the Wildlife Conservation Society to implement key conservation strategies, including reducing consumer demand, phasing out supply chains, active monitoring for pathogens, and developing new opportunities for local communities dependent on wildlife consumption.

All five episodes of A Pangolin's Tale are now available to watch!

Join WildAid Ambassador Djimon Hounsou on an epic adventure to learn about the many threats pangolins face around the world. Accompanied by our WildAid crew, Djimon investigates wildlife markets, visits a local wildlife vet, meets with a local pangolin conservationist, and learns about the pangolin crisis from a wildlife rehabilitation specialist.

Watch the mini documentary series to learn more about the world's most trafficked wild mammal.

Djimon begins his journey in the Kalahari Desert of South Africa, first venturing on a safari to learn about the wildlife, and later joined by biologist Wendy Panaino on a nighttime pangolin tracking expedition.

Djimon travels to Nigeria, where he meets veterinarian and wildlife advocate Mark Ofua. Together they investigate the rising demand for illegal bushmeat. 

Djimon and Mark rescue a group of pangolins from a wildlife market outside Lagos, Nigeria. Back at Mark''s clinic, they rehabilitate the pangolins in order to release them at a protected nature reserve. 

Overnight Mark receives a surprise - an abandoned baby pangolin whose mother was captured by poachers. Djimon visits baby Juba at Mark''s clinic, and it becomes clear that the grave situation of pangolins is more urgent than ever.