Guwahati: The illicit Chinese pangolin trade, once thriving along the porous borders of Manipur and Myanmar, has witnessed a sudden and dramatic decline.
Researchers suggest this downturn is closely tied to the region’s ongoing political upheaval and the growing risks faced by intermediaries who once operated with relative impunity.
A comprehensive new study—conducted by researchers from the Department of Forestry at the North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology (Arunachal Pradesh), Mizoram University, the Forest and Environment Department of Sikkim, and Moran College, Dibrugarh University—explores the complex interplay of social, economic, and environmental factors that have led to reduced poaching and hunting of Chinese Pangolins in and around the Yangoupokpi Lokchao Wildlife Sanctuary (YLWS) in Manipur. Published in The Journal of Threatened Taxa, the study underscores a cautious conservation opportunity in a time of crisis.
“However, this species in Manipur, particularly the population of YLWS, is highly threatened and needs urgent conservation and management approaches, as globally it is a ‘Critically Endangered’ species,” the researchers warn.
Using structured surveys conducted between 2019 and 2023, the team interviewed 71 local residents— with traditional hunting knowledge—from villages surrounding the sanctuary. Their findings reveal that while pangolins remain culturally and economically significant, shifts in trade dynamics, coupled with generational and ecological change, have reshaped the landscape of exploitation.
The Yangoupokpi Lokchao Wildlife Sanctuary, nestled along the Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur’s Tengnoupal District, is part of the ecologically rich Indo-Malayan biodiversity hotspot. It has long been a strategic location for cross-border wildlife trafficking. But now, that network appears to be faltering.
“The average price of Chinese pangolin shows an increasing trend through 2020, right before the COVID-19 outbreak,” the study notes. “Respondents said that the pangolin trade had abruptly decreased, presumably as a result of intermediaries’ restrictions, and that traders were endangered because of political upheaval in Manipur and Myanmar.”
This upheaval, combined with the lingering effects of the pandemic, has pushed down the once-booming black-market value of pangolin scales. From an all-time high of ₹23,000 per kg in 2020, prices dropped sharply to ₹3,000–₹5,000 post-pandemic. Even then, respondents said, buyers vanished—stymied by regional conflict and security risks.
The study documents how Chinese pangolins have been hunted not only for their meat—considered a delicacy by locals—but also for traditional medicine. Pangolin body parts were reportedly used to treat ailments ranging from piles and asthma to smallpox and throat pain. Despite this, 45% of the hunters interviewed were unaware of specific medicinal uses, suggesting that trade motivations are more economic than cultural.
The present study also revealed two novel findings that had not been reported in previous studies: the treatment of sinuses and the excessive control of saliva in nursing babies by using the scales. Using scales to keep out ants and termites was one feature that all the communities had in common in the study area.
Weapons used in the hunt ranged from rudimentary tools like spades, spears, to firearms and noose traps—the latter being the most commonly reported method, used by 68% of respondents. Dogs, though present, were the least relied upon.
Importantly, only a small minority—about 15%—of respondents reported still being actively involved in pangolin hunting. The researchers attribute this decline to several intersecting forces: growing awareness of wildlife laws, better enforcement, and a generational shift as younger villagers leave for cities in search of education and stable jobs.
“As a result, Chinese pangolin hunting and poaching have declined in the study villages,” the report states. “There could be other contributing factors—like degradation of forest cover, changes in land use, or historical overhunting—that make the species harder to find and thus reduce hunting incentives.”’
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