Saturday, February 20, 2016

Rejoice! It's World Pangolin Day!

Accoding to Wikipedia, pangolins (also referred to as scaly anteaters or trenggiling) are mammals of the order Pholidota. There are eight species and they are only found in Africa and Asia. One of their natural habitats is the southern African country of Zimbabwe -- one of Walt's old stomping grounds. Back in the daze when Zimbabwe had its own currency, a pangolin was featured on the 2-dollar coin. This is what a pangolin looks like.


Cute, eh! Errr, maybe not, although a Zimbabwean man was prosecuted recently for keeping one as a pet. He was hauled before the courts because pangolins are on Zimbabwe's list of specially protecte4d species. They are in danger of extinction because of massive illegal trafficking, especially in... wait for it... Zimbabwe, where just about anything that moves is considered fair game. Like Cecil the Lion.

Be that as it may, Zimbabwe is today joining the rest of the world in commemorating World Pangolin Day, which is aimed at raising awareness of the protection of the endangered species. Consider this Walt's contribution to this worthy cause.

For more information on pangolins and why we should save them, check out savepangolins.org.

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