And one of the animals most threatened by trafficking is the pangolin. Pangolin meat, selling at $250-350 per kilo in expensive restaurants, is considered a luxury food in Vietnam and China. All eight pangolin species are protected under national and international laws, and two are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The Brookfield Zoo in Illinois is among the most successful of seven U.S. groups working to breed pangolins. They facilitated nine births over the last four years. "That research still needs to be vetted or have peer review before anyone can say at all that that is where it comes from.". The pangolin, once called "the most trafficked mammal in the world," is facing another threat over its potential link to the coronavirus. Bill Zeigler, a top researcher at the Brookfield Zoo's Chicago Zoological Society, shared his concerns over what accepting the research without proper support could do to the public's perception of the endangered scaly mammal. Through online apps and platforms, pangolin products are sold around the world, including in the US, and demand has brought several pangolin species to the brink of extinction. "What they found was a coronavirus that was very, very similar to what they're seeing now coming out of Wuhan, and so there is that possibility," he told CBS News' Hanson. "My concern is, if we don't word it right and people become afraid of pangolins, they may go out and if they find a pangolin in the wild – in which case there is no real issue there, it's not a danger to you as far as transferring a disease – they would kill it anyway, because they're afraid of it," he told CBS News' Tom Hanson. 1250 24th Street, N.W. Copyright © 2020 CBS Interactive Inc.All rights reserved. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. World Wildlife Fund Inc. is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization (tax ID number 52-1693387) under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. To protect pangolins, WWF and our partner Arnold Worldwide—are working to help Lin achieve his mission and save the pangolins—and we need your help. These elusive mammals are covered in hard keratin scales, but their best natural defenses haven’t protected them from poachers: an estimated one million pangolins were poached in ten years, with … Scientists working around the clock to save the species worry that Chinese researchers who labeled pangolins as the possible origin of the outbreak may be stoking public fear and damaging conservation efforts. An endangered animal that looks like a scaly anteater -- and is a delicacy in the Chinese culture -- is suspected of infecting humans with the coronavirus, a report said Friday. Status: Critically Endangered The most trafficked animal in the world, the pangolin is largely hunted for its meat and scales. Washington, DC 20037. Watch CBS News anytime, anywhere with the our 24/7 digital news network. © 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Despite the new threat, Zeigler and other conservationists' mission remains the same: to "build the science behind the reproductive physiology of these animals" and to hopefully one day establish a sustainable population in North America. Pangolins are the most trafficked mammals in the world. Pangolins have long been prized in China for their meat and their scales, which are believed to have medicinal value. Animal experts worry for pangolins’ future. We must act quickly to protect them, and we need your help. As a result, nearly half a million are illegally poached per year, causing some pangolin populations around the world to drop to critical levels. Unfortunately, the meat has come to be highly regarded as a delicacy in Vietnam, as well as in China. Their skins are used in leather products, their meat is consumed as a delicacy in high-end restaurants in Asia and locally in Africa as bushmeat, and their scales are used in traditional medicine. These elusive mammals are covered in hard keratin scales, but their best natural defenses haven’t protected them from poachers: an estimated one million pangolins were poached in ten years, with 195,000 trafficked in 2019 for their scales alone. Stream CBSN live or on demand for FREE on your TV, computer, tablet, or smartphone. There are eight different species of pangolin across two continents (Asia and Africa), and they vary from vulnerable to critically endangered. Endangered pangolin on the menu… And now pangolin meat too is being touted as a delicacy. They're frequently hunted and poached for their meat, which is considered a delicacy in some countries. The endangered pangolin is the only scaly mammal and has no teeth. View our inclusive approach to conservation. The pangolin, once called "the most trafficked mammal in the world," is facing another threat over its potential link to the coronavirus. Zeigler joined a global chorus of scientists questioning the findings of Chinese scientists. Baby pangolin being handreared at Rare and Endangered Species Trust (REST), Namibia, Africa - Sep 2013 (REX/Maria Diekmann) • Cape or Temminck’s Ground pangolin (Smutsia temminckii) – …