Photo by beverlyjoubert / The pandemic cast an urgent spotlight on the detrimental impacts of the wildlife trade, and we've seen some promising steps taken to safeguard one of the most trafficked animals on the planet: the pangolin. Yet so many enforcement challenges and worrying loopholes remain—and these elusive, intriguing, and highly threatened creatures are still traded on a scale that is truly hard to comprehend. In our 40 years of filming, observing, and tracking out in the field, we've had the privilege of seeing perhaps 15 of these animals. To be confronted with the staggering number of scales that are smuggled each year—and to imagine all the pangolins that have been illegally trapped, cruelly killed, and trafficked for them—is heartbreaking beyond words. #pangolins #wildlifetrade #conservation #endangeredspecies