Pangolins could face greater threat due to coronavirus fears Experts worry that the endangered pangolin might suffer an even greater threat after Chinese scientists suggested that the scaly mammal could have been responsible for the coronavirus being transmitted to humans. Almost 500,000 pangolins are poached yearly for their prized meat and scales, earning it the label of “most trafficked mammals on the planet.” Tom Hanson is in Brookfield, Illinois to follow one zoo’s conservation efforts.