03 Mar 2020 2-minute view

TCM – Good for You and Good for Wildlife

How traditional Chinese medicine and wildlife can exist in harmony.

Asia Hunting and Trade Traditional Medicine

For centuries, bear bile, leopard bones, pangolin scales, and many other wildlife products have been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to treat various ailments. Consumers believe that the body parts of these animals carry certain healing properties. This has in turn increased the demand for wildlife products, fuelling a spike in illegal hunting and trade of these species, putting them at risk of becoming extinct.

Over the years, however, medical advancements in TCM coupled with laws to protect endangered wildlife from illegal hunting and trade have led to more TCM practitioners choosing alternative herbal treatments over wildlife products. This has allowed people to continue to receive treatment in an ethical and sustainable way that keeps wildlife safe from poaching and illegal trade.

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Greater One-horned Rhino

Philippine Eagle

Malayan Tiger

Long-tailed Macaque

Asian Elephant

Leopard

Pangolin

A Wild Life Creature Feature The Pangolin By Olivia Low

Pangolins can grow as big as your pet dog, varying in size from 30cm to 1m long

Don’t mistake them for reptiles! Pangolins are the only mammals covered from head to toe with scales for protection

Their scales are made from keratin: the same stuff our fingernails are made of

All pangolins live in tropical forests and grasslands. Some of them spend most of their time in trees, while others stay on the ground

Their long tails help them climb trees and hang from branches

Pangolins have bad eyesight, but a great nose for food

Pangolins love feasting on ants and termites. They have no teeth, so they slurp them up using their sticky tongues — which can sometimes be even longer than their bodies

Baby pangolins travel around by riding on their mothers’ tails

The pangolin’s name is derived from the Malay word penggulung, which means “rolling up”; something they do when they are threatened

Pangolins are in trouble! They are the world’s most trafficked mammal, with more than 1 million poached in the past decade

Pangolins are poached for their scales and meat, which are consumed as traditional medicine and as luxury food

However, there are dedicated champions fighting to save them from trafficking and extinction

Find out how you can help ensure the continued survival of pangolins

“If you can reach out and touch and love and be with wildlife, you will forever be changed, and you will want to make the world a better place.” - Terri Irwin

Slow Loris

Sun Bear

Greater One-horned Rhino

Philippine Eagle

Malayan Tiger

Long-tailed Macaque

Asian Elephant

Leopard

Pangolin

A Wild Life Creature Feature The Pangolin By Olivia Low

Pangolins can grow as big as your pet dog, varying in size from 30cm to 1m long

Don’t mistake them for reptiles! Pangolins are the only mammals covered from head to toe with scales for protection

Their scales are made from keratin: the same stuff our fingernails are made of

All pangolins live in tropical forests and grasslands. Some of them spend most of their time in trees, while others stay on the ground

Their long tails help them climb trees and hang from branches

Pangolins have bad eyesight, but a great nose for food

Pangolins love feasting on ants and termites. They have no teeth, so they slurp them up using their sticky tongues — which can sometimes be even longer than their bodies

Baby pangolins travel around by riding on their mothers’ tails

The pangolin’s name is derived from the Malay word penggulung, which means “rolling up”; something they do when they are threatened

Pangolins are in trouble! They are the world’s most trafficked mammal, with more than 1 million poached in the past decade

Pangolins are poached for their scales and meat, which are consumed as traditional medicine and as luxury food

However, there are dedicated champions fighting to save them from trafficking and extinction

Find out how you can help ensure the continued survival of pangolins

“If you can reach out and touch and love and be with wildlife, you will forever be changed, and you will want to make the world a better place.” - Terri Irwin

Slow Loris

Sun Bear

Creature Feature

Click on the animal icons to get to know our wildlife stars better!

Creature Feature

Tap on the animal icons to get to know our wildlife stars better!

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