It's likely you've never heard of a pangolin - they're scaly mammals that look kind of like a cross between an artichoke and an anteater. But these elusive creatures have been trafficked to the point of becoming endangered. Why? In some countries, pangolins are coveted for their meat and scales, especially for use in traditional Chinese medicine. And as the demand for traditional medicine grows worldwide, so has demand for pangolin scales. In 2016, it became illegal to commercially trade pangolins, but that isn't slowing traffickers down. Instead they are finding new ways to access scales, often at costs that we're only now starting to understand.

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