Myanmar and pangolins. Not words I normally think of together. That’s why the recent report by TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring NGO, on pangolin trafficking in Myanmar took me by surprise. While I’ve followed the patterns of pangolin smuggling over the years, Myanmar is rarely highlighted. Until now.

TRAFFIC’s study, published in the journal Global Ecology and Conservation, exposes how the country is both a significant source and a transit hub.

Pangolins may be the most trafficked mammal in the world, with more than a million of them traded illegally during the past decade. These scaly anteaters get it from all sides—their habitat is disappearing, and they’re pursued by poachers for their meat, skin, and scales.

They often wind up in