Asia

World wildlife meeting votes to ban trade in Asian pangolins

Associated Press
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In this photo taken on September 20th, 2016, a Chinese pangolin rests on a tree branch at the Save Vietnam's Wildlife rescue center in Cuc Phuong National Park, Ninh Binh province, Vietnam. On Wednesday in Johannesburg, South Africa, delegates at a U.N. wildlife conference have voted to ban trade in all four species of Asian pangolins. The small, ant-eating mammal is heavily poached for its meat and scales that are used in traditional medicine in parts of Asia. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh) (The Associated Press)

In this photo taken on September 20th, 2016, a Chinese pangolin rests on a tree branch at the Save Vietnam's Wildlife rescue center in Cuc Phuong National Park, Ninh Binh province, Vietnam. On Wednesday in Johannesburg, South Africa, delegates at a U.N. wildlife conference have voted to ban trade in all four species of Asian pangolins. The small, ant-eating mammal is heavily poached for its meat and scales that are used in traditional medicine in parts of Asia. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh) (The Associated Press)

In this Thursday, June 19, 2014, file photo, a pangolin carries its baby at a Bali zoo, Indonesia. Delegates at a U.N. wildlife conference have voted to ban trade in all four species of Asian pangolins. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati/File) (The Associated Press)

Delegates at a U.N. wildlife conference have voted to ban trade in all four species of Asian pangolins. The small, ant-eating mammal is heavily poached for its meat and scales that are used in traditional medicine in parts of Asia.

The committee vote came Wednesday at a meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES. The decision is expected to be approved at a plenary session next week.

The meeting of CITES, which regulates wildlife trade, ends Oct. 5.

CITES previously required controls on any trade in Asian pangolins in an effort to ensure their survival. The new vote prohibits commercial trade entirely.

The delegates are also considering protections for four species of African pangolins.