A call to SAPS, law enforcement agencies, government departments and media houses to stop publishing monetary values in pangolin poaching and trafficking cases.

I, the undersigned, are calling on the South African Police Service (SAPS), law enforcement agencies, relevant government departments and all media houses to reconsider and STOP publishing specific monetary amounts or estimated market values associated with pangolins in wildlife crime reports, press releases, news articles and social media publications.

Pangolins are the most trafficked mammals in the world. They are already facing an enormous threat from illegal poaching and trafficking. Every year, innocent pangolins are taken from the wild, brutally handled, transported and traded for profit.

Yet, when authorities and media houses publish figures such as R500 000 per pangolin we have to ask an important question:

Are we not unintentionally advertising the potential financial rewards of poaching?

Although these figures may be intended to demonstrate the seriousness and financial scale of wildlife crime, they could also make the illegal trade appear financially attractive to potential poachers and traffickers.

I cannot ignore the possibility that repeatedly publicising these amounts may contribute to the very problem we are trying to stop.

A pangolin is not a price tag. It is not a financial opportunity. It is a living, breathing wild animal that belongs in its natural environment.

I understand the importance of reporting wildlife crime and informing the public about successful operations, arrests, confiscations and prosecutions. We absolutely encourage this.

However, there is no need to advertise the alleged market value of these animals to communicate the seriousness of the crime.

I THEREFORE CALL FOR:
SAPS and law enforcement agencies to stop including specific monetary values or estimated market prices of pangolins in public press releases and crime reports.
Media houses, journalists and news publications to refrain from publishing monetary amounts associated with pangolins in poaching, trafficking and illegal possession cases.
Government departments and conservation authorities to adopt similar communication guidelines and encourage responsible reporting of pangolin-related wildlife crime.
Greater emphasis on conservation rather than commercial value when reporting these cases. Highlight the animals rescued, the arrests made, the consequences of wildlife crime and the importance of protecting our natural heritage.
A consistent national approach to responsible reporting that avoids publicising figures that could potentially encourage further illegal wildlife trade.
MY MESSAGE IS SIMPLE:
We need to make poaching less attractive, not inadvertently advertise its potential financial rewards.

Celebrate the rescue, not the price.

Report the crime, not the market value.

Give attention to the innocent animal, not the money someone hoped to make from it.

Every pangolin rescued is a life saved. Every pangolin lost is a loss to our natural heritage.

We cannot keep raising awareness about the devastating effects of pangolin trafficking while simultaneously giving publicity to the amounts people are allegedly willing to pay for these animals.

A pangolin's life is worth more than any amount of money!

I respectfully request that the relevant authorities and media organisations take this concern seriously and commit to changing the way monetary values are communicated in pangolin-related wildlife crime reporting.

Let us work together to protect pangolins, discourage wildlife trafficking and ensure that our words do not unintentionally fuel the demand.

STOP PUTTING A PRICE ON PANGOLINS.

Please sign and share this petition if you support responsible reporting and the protection of pangolins.

René Eckhardt 

Rolling with Pangolins 

South Africa