The unrelenting poaching of elephants, rhinoceroses and tigers is a big problem, and it rightly gets lots of attention. But lots of other less large or cuddly species — desired for their skins, meat, organs or purported medicinal benefits — are also being illegally hunted and trafficked at alarming and, in some cases, unsustainable rates.
A scaly mammal called the pangolin is, according to some estimates, the most trafficked animal in the world. Its meat and scales, and even fetuses, are prized in Vietnam and China. All eight species found in Asia and Africa are now threatened with extinction, as poachers have nearly wiped out the populations in China and much of Southeast Asia.
Sea cucumber
If there were a contest for least charismatic animal, the sea cucumber — which is not actually a vegetable — might be a strong contender. It hangs out on the ocean floor, acting something like pudgy vacuum cleaner, eating tiny sea creatures and breaking down waste, which helps coral reefs. One recent study noted the creatures attract “limited public conservation concern,” even though seven species of them are endangered and there’s booming demand for them in China, where they’re eaten and believed to cure ailments like joint pain.
The portly dugong, a cousin of the manatees that flock to the coast of Florida, is considered “vulnerable” to extinction. Poaching has become so prolific in northern Australia — home to the largest dugong population — that the country’s government has devoted millions of dollars to stop the illegal trade in dugong meat, which is a staple for many of Australia’s indigenous people.
