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Rescued pangolins in Uganda.
Rescued pangolins in Uganda. Photo: Isaac Kasamani (AFP via Getty Images)

This month, China removed pangolin scales from an official 2020 listing of ingredients approved for use in traditional Chinese medicine, the Guardian reported. The move comes after the country’s State Forestry and Grassland Administration raised the pangolin’s protected status to the highest level last week. The change in status is effective immediately.

The punishment for those caught hunting, killing, smuggling, or trading them is now 10 years in prison.