The Pangolin Reports
The world’s most trafficked mammal is a solitary anteater resembling an artichoke: the pangolin. Prized for its scales, particularly for traditional medicine in China, this quiet animal is at the centre of a sophisticated, multi-million-dollar supply chain across Africa and Asia, run by networks of criminal syndicates.
We chose the pangolin trade as our first focus for in-depth investigation. More than 40 journalists from 15 countries and territories reported collaboratively, conducting countless of interviews with hunters, traders and buyers, and even going undercover to infiltrate these groups.
The results are published here.
Criminal syndicates in Africa and Asia are working together — and competing — to meet the seemingly insatiable demand for pangolins in China and other markets. Here’s how this underground trade risks wiping out the species.
The latest updates
What our colleague are saying
“The beauty of The Pangolin Reports is that it was investigated, reported, and written by local journalists — working in their own countries, their own language, and their own cultures.”
— Joyce Lau, Hong Kong-based editor
“I learned a lot about collaboration, looking for information in and outside Indonesia, and why it matters to be connected with colleagues in other countries.”
— Tommy Apriando, reporter, Mongabay Indonesia