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Special Assignment: To die for, 30 November 2016

366 views · Published 19 December 2016 · 27:37 · Indexed 20 September 2026

Channel: SABC News · 2016 · News & Politics

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On Wednesday November 30th Special Assignment presents the third episode of an ongoing investigation into the illegal trade in pangolins – the world’s most trafficked mammal – and the challenges in addressing this scourge in South Africa. 

Once regarded as the forgotten species, the pangolin’s plight was widely publicized at CITES COP 17 – held in Johannesburg in September this year.  At this global wildlife conference, the conservation world successfully lobbied for the uplisting of the 4 Asian and 4 African pangolin species from Appendix  2 - restricted trade -to Appendix 1 – a total ban on all trade. But how effective will CITES legislation be in curtailing the trafficking of a prehistoric creature that is now worth a fortune due to skyrocketing demand in Asia? In South Africa,  the supply of this critically endangered animal is driven by poaching middlemen motivated by poverty or opportunism. As a country are we adequately capacitated and committed to saving this species?

In this episode of ‘To Die For’, Special Assignment again partners with conservationist Alexis Kriel who introduces us to experts at the forefront of pangolin research and rehabilitation, but whose noble efforts are being hamstrung by funding challenges. We also discover that although the pangolin no longer languishes in obscurity, public awareness is still limited. And as we despair of witnessing this elusive creature roaming free in the wild, we realize that without sufficient government will to prioritise pangolin poaching – not to mention other crimes decimating our endangered wildlife  - the pangolin could already be on the brink of extinction.   



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