pangolin

I had a great time at the Harvard Museum of Natural History today. There was an artist talk on the current exhibition of photographs by Amy Stein. Afterwards, a pleasant surprise was wine and snacks. Walking around all that taxidermy with free wine AND potato chips?? My idea of a perfect evening.

Anyway, I could spend days in that place. For some reason I was particularly taken with the pangolins this time around. A walking pinecone, they roll up into balls when threatened, have crazy long tongues, and walk hunched over on their hind legs (because their claws are so long, for ant-digging). This video is worth a look if this at all interests you.

The cute little bastard in the photo above is one that was smuggled by American tourists visiting the Congo. Apparently it fell off it's mother's back as she was chased by hunters, and since it was too small to eat, they decided to sell it to some tourists. Authorities intercepted and it was given to the LA zoo (sadly, it died at 10 months). The tourist had no idea that she had bought an endangered species, but thousands are poached knowingly for their meat or various body parts. The biggest violators being the Chinese, who believe pangolin blood is a cure for erectile dysfunction.

According to wildlife groups, China is the main market for illegally traded exotic species, which are eaten or used in traditional medicine. As a result of demand, the pangolin populations of China, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia have been wiped out. It is a similar story for many species of turtle, tortoise, frog and snake.

Here is an article about a boat found a few years ago with over 5000 endangered animals headed to China. Many were crushed in their cages or died of dehydration.