It is estimated that more than a million pangolins have been snatched from the wild in the past decade, according to the IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group, an organization leading efforts to save these scaly, ant-eating mammals from poaching and illegal trade.

That might just make the pangolin the most trafficked animal in the world, and all because in some consumer markets eating its flesh is seen as a rare luxury, or its scales are used in traditional medicine. This is an illegal and immoral trade. On #WorldPangolinDay (February 18), you can help by educating yourself and spreading awareness of this situation.

More about the pangolin

IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group

Pangolin conservation (ZSL)

Save Pangolins

Pangolins (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)

Pangolin (WWF)

Carnivore & Pangolin Conservation Program (Vietnam)

The National Geographic Photo Ark is a multi-year project to photograph all species in captivity. The pangolin is one of them. To learn more about the Photo Ark, visit natgeophotoark.org,

Follow the Photo Ark photographer Joel Sartore and the National Geographic Photo Ark on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and add your voice using #SaveTogether.