I saw a documentary on netflix about a Pangolin.

Never heard of them before. Never seen one before. I thought it was a fictional story when I watched the trailer.

Interesting little creatures that have been around since dinosaurs, it seems. Like armored anteaters but they walk on their hind legs. The armored tail seems like a counterbalance.

Sadly, being hunted to extinction for chinese traditional medicine (used in about 60 different formulations?). So I'm wondering - if this animal is so rare that I've never heard it in my entire life, how is it common to chinese (in history) that's it included in traditional formularies? If not, and it's a more modern inclusion with chinese expansion into africa, then it's not really traditional medicine, is it?

Either way, unless there is scientific data proving efficacy, I have no words for this travesty. The pangolin seems like an interesting, harmless creature with an ability to form social bonds.

ETA: sorry, it does seem like these creatures are native to southern china / asia. But much poaching in africa.

A pangolin was originally cited by the Chinese as the origin of Covid.