US bans trade in seven more pangolin species, closing a loophole for traffickers

The US Fish and Wildlife Service proposes to list seven species of pangolin as endangered. This means importing or exporting these animals, or products made from them, will be illegal in the US.

For years, international agreements have tried to protect pangolins, but traffickers often exploited loopholes by misidentifying species. This rule makes it much harder to import any pangolin or pangolin product into the US, regardless of its specific species. It effectively closes a major market for illegal wildlife trade.