In the rainforests of the Congo, Cameroon and Central African Republic (CAR) lives an elusive mammal that looks like a cross between an anteater, an armadillo and a pinecone. And thanks to poachers, the pangolin is the most trafficked animal on earth.

在刚果、喀麦隆和中非共和国的热带雨林中，生活着一种难以捉摸的哺乳动物，它看起来像是食蚁兽、犰狳和松果的混合体。多亏了偷猎者，穿山甲成了地球上最常被贩卖的动物。

In April 2019, Singapore seized a world record 25.6 tons of pangolin scales, worth $76.5 million, from an estimated 38,000 of the creatures. In December, scales from some 50,000 African pangolins were seized by Chinese authorities.

2019年4月，新加坡从大约38000只穿山甲中缴获了创纪录的25.6吨穿山甲鳞片，价值7650万美元。去年12月，中国有关部门查获了约5万只非洲穿山甲的鳞片。

In all, it is estimated that more than 100,000 pangolins, mostly from Africa, were killed by traffickers last year — compared to 200 rhinos and 1,000 tigers.

据估计，去年共有10万多只穿山甲被人贩子杀死，其中大部分来自非洲，而犀牛和老虎的数量分别为200头和1000头。

“It’s because of this scale, this unique feature [that makes)] them a target,” said Tessa Ullman, a volunteer at the Sangha Pangolin Project, a preservation society. “The Pangolin burrow and create holes, so [the scales are] associated with circulation. It’s used as an ingredient in traditional Asian medicines … They’re used to help mothers for lactation, and for blood pressure. But none of this has been clinically proven.”

“正是因为这种规模，这种独特的特征，才使它们成为目标，”僧伽穿山甲项目(Sangha Pangolin Project)的志愿者特萨·乌尔曼(Tessa Ullman)说。“穿山甲会挖洞、挖洞，所以(鳞片)与循环有关。它被用作传统亚洲药物的成分……它们被用来帮助母亲泌乳和血压。但这些都没有得到临床证明。”

But that’s not stopping true believers.

但这并没有阻止真正的信徒。

According to the ASEAN Post, “Sunda pangolins in Indonesia are at risk of extinction [and the country] has already lost up to 10,000 a year to illegal trade.”

据《东盟邮报》报道，“印尼的巽他穿山甲有灭绝的危险，(该国)每年因非法贸易损失高达1万只。”