PANGOLIN SCALES STILL SOUGHT-AFTER FOR USE IN TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

This is the first of a three-part series on the availability of pangolin-based medicinal products in the market despite the international ban on pangolin trade.  

Some 17 years ago, a Malaysian businessman and cancer survivor, who wants to remain anonymous, consumed pangolin-based traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) after undergoing chemotherapy.

He was advised by a TCM practitioner in the Klang Valley to consume the product to improve his blood circulation and reduce dizziness.

He claimed he felt better after taking it but lamented that it has been increasingly difficult to buy products containing, among other ingredients, pangolin scales in Malaysia following the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Even the prices (of pangolin-based products) have gone up now. The last time I bought it was in 2019… I paid around RM400 for 15 packs which lasted me three to five months,” he said, adding that previously, wildlife-based medicines were still available on e-commerce platforms as well as in TCM shops, but sold ‘under the counter’.

“Nowadays, I have to seek help from my friends in China to purchase them and have them mailed to me,” he told Bernama.

Traditional medicine shop selling pangolin product in Indonesia. (Credit Photo: Paul Hilton for WildAid)

He recently switched to plant-based Chinese medicines prescribed to him by TCM practitioners but while he found them effective, he claimed the pangolin-based products were “more potent”.

A TCM practitioner, who only wished to be known as Jackie, said back in 2007, one of his patients requested him to process about 10 kilogrammes of raw pangolin scales which he had sourced from Sabah.

“He offered me a substantial sum of money but I declined as I didn’t have any facility to store the raw scales. He then kept the scales for a few days but eventually disposed of them as they had gone bad,” he said, adding his patient had obtained the pangolin scales from indigenous people in Sabah for about RM3,000.

“In order to process raw pangolin scales into medicine, they have to be dried first to remove all moisture before being carefully stored in a special container to maintain their freshness and prevent them from producing a foul odour,” Jackie said.

USE OF PANGOLIN SCALES IN TCM

Despite being an endangered species and protected by an international trade ban, pangolins – also known as scaly anteaters – remain highly sought-after in China and Southeast Asia. Their scales, believed to have medicinal properties in TCM, are commonly used to enhance blood circulation, stimulate lactation and alleviate arthritis.

The Sunda pangolin, which is Malaysia’s only native pangolin species, is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species.

Malaysian experts said the Sunda pangolin, despite being protected by both national and international laws, is under threat in Malaysia where it is hunted for both local consumption and for international trafficking.

They said the illegal trading of pangolin scales is still thriving even though China, the largest consumer of pangolin scales, lowered its yearly limit on pangolin scales used for medicinal purposes to one metric ton – equivalent to 2,000 pangolins – in November last year.

According to the latest figures by the Peninsular Malaysia Department of Wildlife and National Parks, a total of 6,000 kg of wildlife parts – including 112.20 kg of pangolin scales – worth an estimated RM80 million were seized by the Royal Malaysian Customs Department in Port Klang in July 2022.

Sunway TCM Centre herbalist Huong Hee said both China and the Chinese community in Malaysia share a historical belief in the medicinal value of pangolin scales, with the demand historically being higher in China due to its larger population, long-standing cultural beliefs and a well-established TCM industry.

“However, key differences exist between the two countries in terms of demand, regulations and enforcement,” she told Bernama in an interview recently.

Sunway TCM Centre Herbalist, Huong Hee

She said while animal-derived ingredients have historically played a role in TCM, there are always effective plant-based or synthetic substitutes that “align with both ethical standards and modern scientific research”.

“For example, pangolin scales can be replaced with Wang Bu Liu Xing (Vaccaria seeds), which provide a similar effect,” she said.

PANGOLIN TCM PRODUCTS IN CHINA

Prior to reducing the annual quota on pangolin scales, China has been taking steps to protect pangolins, the world’s most trafficked animal.

Beginning in 2019, the Chinese government removed the medical insurance coverage for drugs containing pangolin scales to curb the trade of pangolins, particularly from Southeast Asia.

Dr Yifu Wang, an assistant professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in Shenzhen, China, who had previously done a study on the demand for pangolin scales in TCM at the University of Cambridge, said China upgraded all pangolin species to the status of nationally-protected wildlife in June 2020. Products containing pangolin scales were also removed from China’s Pharmacopoeia. (The pharmacopoeia is a legally binding collection of standards and quality specifications for medicines used in a country or region.)

“The situation has definitely changed due to these efforts. The trade of pangolin scales has seen a significant decline in recent years, driven by China’s intensified conservation measures and stricter regulations,” she told Bernama in a Zoom interview.

Assistant Professor, Chinese University of Hong Kong in Shenzhen, Dr Yifu Wang

Wang said she also noticed a remarkable shift in the pangolin trade during her visits to Chinese hospitals and pharmaceutical shops in 2023.

“From 2008 to 2015, the annual quota on pangolin scales was around 25,000 kg (for use in traditional medicine). Now the quota has been reduced to only 1,000 kg (one metric ton),” she said.

LEGAL STOCKPILES

In 2016, all pangolin species were placed under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, thus prohibiting any international commercial trade.  

Under China’s Wildlife Protection Law, pangolins are classified as Category I state-protected animals, prohibiting their capture from the wild.

As such, where has China been sourcing pangolin scales since 2016? 

Responding to this, Wang pointed to the existence of “legal stockpiles” of pangolin scales obtained before 2016 from Africa and Asia.

She said these stocks are held by both private and public entities and form part of the yearly quota, and are also regulated through permits to fulfil the high demand for pangolin scales in Chinese hospitals and pharmaceutical shops.

“Currently, 711 hospitals in China are authorised to sell pangolin-based medicinal products, provided they obtain the necessary permits. We have stricter enforcement now which requires sellers to carry trade certificates, further limiting the illegal market,” she said.

She added that Chinese businesses are now more aware of the need for permits to sell pangolin-based products, and that the products themselves must be certified.

EIA UK

The UK-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), in its ‘Investing in Extinction’ report published in 2023, identified at least 88 TCM products that are available online and stated to contain leopard, pangolin, tiger or rhino parts. These products were manufactured by Chinese companies and displayed permit numbers.

According to the report, during the 20th century, Asian pangolin scales were legally and illegally traded from across Southeast Asia, including from Malaysia to China, for use in TCM.

A survey by Bernama of Chinese and locally based e-commerce platforms in October 2024 found that products made from protected wildlife, as listed in the EIA report, were still available.

However, after China enforced a new policy to control the production and sale of pangolin-based products in November 2024, listings of those products were taken down from the market.

Meanwhile, Sabah-based non-governmental organisation Pangolin Aware founder Elisa Panjang said although China has decided to reduce the annual quota on pangolin scales for use in TCM, it is still legal to make and sell those products over there.

The pangolin expert claimed China’s latest policies will continue to allow pangolin poaching.

“If China is serious about conservation, it must completely eliminate pangolin use in TCM and actively promote ethical and sustainable substitutes,” she said.

Pangolin Aware founder, Elisa Panjang (Pix credit to Elisa Panjang)

Regarding the use of old stockpiles, Elisa said the lack of transparency and the fact that China still allows the use of pangolin scales indicate enforcement gaps, which means illegal pangolin scales from Southeast Asia could still enter the market under the guise of legal trade.

“I believe conservationists fear that this legal quota could be used as a cover for illegally trafficked pangolins,” she said.

ASIA’S UNCEASING DEMAND

According to TRAFFIC, an international wildlife trade monitoring network, Asia remains a hotspot for pangolin seizures, with over 1,141 confiscations recorded between 2015 and 2021.

Its communications manager Elizabeth John said mainland China, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore seized the largest volume, together accounting for 91 percent of total seizure volumes.

“A total of 82 percent of all seizures were made by India, Vietnam, mainland China, Indonesia and Malaysia.

“Seizures in mainland China alone accounted for a staggering 93,500 kg, plus an additional 5,600 individual pangolins not recorded by weight, making it the largest volume recorded in Asia, with Vietnam following closely with 70,300 kg and an additional 4,000 individual pangolins,” she said.

Sunda pangolin, one of the endangered species under Appendix I of the CITIES (Pix Credit to WWF-Indonesia)

Elizabeth said there was, however, a decline in 2020-2021, potentially due to heightened enforcement and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The period 2017 to 2019 saw some of the largest confiscations with over 609 seizure incidents occurring in Asia, accounting for 244,600 kg of pangolin scales,” she said, adding pangolin confiscations from 2020 to 2021 showed a dip with some 233 incidents involving 13,389 kg of scales, most likely an impact from the disruption in movement of products through the global transportation system due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

(Note: This story is part of the Macaranga Mentorship on Covering Wildlife Crime in Malaysia 2024, and is supported by Internews Earth Journalism Network.)