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The pangolin is not an animal that ordinary Ghanaians think about every day. But for the ultra-rich who see it as a delicacy and those who need its healing and spiritual abilities.
It is a cherished animal. This is why wildlife experts say it is the most trafficked animal in the world.
National Geography reports that in two record-breaking seizures in the space of a week in April 2019, Singapore seized a cargo of 14.2 tons and a cargo of 14 tons of pangolin scales – on approximately 72,000 pangolins – from Nigeria.
Pangolins and their usefulness became a hot topic last year when they were initially linked to the transmission of COVID-19.
It turns out to be false, however, because studies conducted by researchers include; Frutos et al., 2020 have proven otherwise. Rather, these unique mammals make an invaluable contribution to the ecosystem through their activities, especially their support for plant production.
Importance of pangolins in the environment
Renowned botanist and advocate for global biodiversity, Professor Alfred Oteng-Yeboah says pangolins play a vital role in ecology just like other organisms and make the system complete.
He explains that they provide the soil with all-natural pest control and are fantastic soil offerings.
“It is said that a single pangolin consumes up to 70 million insects per year, mostly ants and termites,” he noted.
The famous botanist notes that “the cycle will be broken if actors like pangolins go extinct. This is because they keep the ant and termite population in good balance. ”
Referring to Professor Emeritus EO Wilson, he quotes “… Each species is a masterpiece that destroys or decreases biodiversity…”
The vulnerability of pangolins in Ghana
Madame Ernestina Anie, public relations manager of the Forestry Commission Wildlife Division (WD-FC), says Ghana is home to three of the eight species of pangolins in the world.
These are the white-bellied, giant-ground, and black-bellied African pangolins.
They give birth to only one offspring per year and are vulnerable to overexploitation. Of the three, giant pangolins, which were once common in Mole National Park, are rare.
Unfortunately, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) has figured out that their meat is a delicacy for many, especially high profile people including; chiefs, elders, some senior security officials and some government officials of the country.
A quick review of the country’s bushmeat markets, especially one of the largest, the Anyinam Market located along the Accra-Kumasi road, showed that the prices of pangolins depend on their size, ranging from from 100 GH ¢ to 250 GH ¢.
GNA also found that foreigners who are aware of how endangered mammals are pay traders a ransom when rescuing Ayinam Market and set them free.
Traditionally, the scales and bones of pangolins have been used to formulate topical medicines to treat conditions such as; rheumatism, waist pain, asthma, menstrual pain, stomach upset and seizures, according to Boakye et al., 2015.
Some people also use pangolins to prepare concoctions for spiritual protection and money rituals.
Madame Esi Mensima, one of the many herbal artifact traders in the Accra Timber Market, told GNA that since pangolin coins are in high demand, they are very expensive.
“The heart and half a kilogram of the scale can cost between GH ¢ 150 and GH ¢ 500, depending on where you buy it in Accra,” she says.
Laws prohibiting pangolin hunting
Ghana is a signatory to many international instruments that oblige it to protect nature and its habitat, especially those that are critically endangered such as pangolins.
These laws include: the proponents of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. Internationally, pangolins are on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.
Pangolins are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES, Appendix I) and therefore cannot be exported or hunted even for their meat, which is a delicacy in some communities.
In addition, with Schedule 1 of the Ghana Wildlife Conservation Act 1971 (LI 685), people are prohibited from hunting or possessing pangolins, but this regulation is continually flouted.
Violators of this regulation risk paying either a maximum unit sentence of GH ¢ 200, a maximum jail term of six months, or a fine and jail time, depending on the seriousness of the case.
Law enforcement
Checks carried out by the GNA at the Anyinam police stations, where the popular market is located, indicate that no prosecution has so far been initiated in possession of pangolins or their hunting.
Mr. Kofi Sarpong, WD-FC officer at Anyinam, says he worked in the area for about three years; the prosecution took place in Anyinam.
He alleges that the pangolin traders in Ayinam Market are vendors who say, “There are great people behind the business. Big men buy animals not only from this region, but as far away as Somanya in the eastern region, parts of Bono, Ahafo and Ashanti regions, ”he added.
According to a police officer who pledged anonymity, no case related to the possession or hunting of pangolins was reported to the police station.
The officer’s account does not corroborate the claims of at least two people – Ms Anie and Mr Daryl Bosu, the deputy national director of AROocha Ghana told the GNA that they had arrested and denounced some people who were doing drugs pangolin trade at the police station on a number of occasions.
Ms Anie was of the opinion that when pangolin hunting issues were reported to the police, they were often not followed up because they were considered trivial offenses. The public also agrees.
She recalled that between 2015 and 2020, a total of 16 pangolins had been confiscated and released in their natural habitat. A number of cases, she said, have been reported, but those involved have not been affected.
Mr. Bosu notes that “As pangolins are listed as an endangered species, it is the responsibility of WD-FC to ensure that reported cases are prosecuted and that the culprits are punished in order to deter others.
“Having said that, we must also see it as a collective responsibility to support state agencies in their work. For example, police officers who work along the Kumasi-Accra highway are unaware that hunting and selling pangolins is an offense. It is not their fault. It shows that the population needs a lot of education, ”he said.
He said it has been difficult to prioritize the issue of pangolin conservation over the years, in particular, WD-FC can do more, but we also recognize that they need our support. “We do not take the protection of pangolins seriously,” he added.
Ms. Anie said that WD-FC had taken action, including; work with stakeholders to ensure the revision of the regulations to make them punitive, deploy educational campaigns for security agencies and the public to save pangolins.
If for nothing at all, the COVID-19 epidemic, which is believed to have originated in a wild animal, must be a lesson for humans to respect and protect nature, especially pangolins.
— GNA
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