Protecting pangolins in Liberia

Pangolins are animals. They have special scales, like fish. People eat and sell pangolins. This is a problem. Now, there aren't many pangolins.

Juty Deh Jr works at Liberia's Libassa Wildlife Sanctuary.

Juty Deh Jr: So naturally the pangolin don't have any predators - except we the humans. Because when he get afraid, he will roll into a ball. Rolling into a ball would actually save the pangolin, but it also make it easier for we the human to just pick it up and do anything to it."

Liberia has rules to help pangolins. You can't catch or sell the animals. But they're a traditional food. Asian medicine uses pangolin scales too. The scales are expensive. They can sell for 350 dollars a kilogramme.

Liberia's poor after years of war, and the Ebola pandemic. Many people in Liberia live on two dollars a day. They aren't listening to the rules.

The Forestry Development Authority checks markets for pangolins. Its Wildlife Crime Task Force is slowly changing habits. But some people won't change. Edward Appleton manages the task force.

Edward Appleton: The message is getting through to everybody. There were a lot of workshops, lot of awareness, and we've been saying this for a long, long time. For over three years we've been saying this. But, you know, the people are so stubborn, you know. If, there will always be law breakers, so, for us to do our job."

The task force burns any pangolin meat and scales. But the hunters and sellers need money. They're angry. They want help from the government. They want other opportunities to work.

Hunter: "It because of poverty - me go to hunt. Then they, when the government is saying that they, we boy stop killing any bear or this animal, they have to open a avenue for to get a job, so can get money to sustain our home."

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