National Geographic USA – June 2019

scales, which wasn’t hard: They weren’t hidden.

“Of course it’s shocking to see—it’s in your

face,” Young said later. “But for them, it’s noth-

ing. You’ll see it everywhere.”

A

MAJOR STASH of pangolin scales

would be smuggled into Cameroon

soon, investigators with the Last

Great Ape Organization, an NGO,

told us during our visit. The group,

which helps governments with wild-

life law enforcement, had been tracking these

smugglers for more than a year and knew that

investigators would have a chance to break up

this supply chain when the men drove into the

port city of Douala with their haul.

scallions. We left the pangolin under the walk-

er’s watchful eye, and on the way Nathan talked

about how much he loves pangolins and how

excited he is to help them. He was clearly proud

of his mom.

Next to the outdoor produce stand, a group

of Chinese men and women were eating din-

ner. They greeted us in French, with big smiles.

As we began picking over the leafy greens,

Young made a small gesture with her chin to

the left. Near the side door to the build-

ing, behind a low wooden fence, was a chest

freezer. On top were several dozen pango-

lin scales, laid out to dry. Young and Nathan

bought some scallions and other vegetables

while I milled around to get a better look at the

In Vietnam a sixth-

generation traditional

medicine practitioner

demonstrates how

he prepares herbs to

mix with the dried

pangolin scales his

wife is grinding. Scales

are believed to be

helpful for a range of

maladies, but there’s

no scientific support

for these claims.

PANGOLINS 97