Forest Officer Shares Pic Of 'Second Most Trafficked Mammal On Planet', Asks Users To Identify It

These days, bureaucrats often share intriguing pictures related to flora and fauna and also test the intelligence of internet users by posting interesting questions. On Sunday, Parveen Kaswan, an Indian Forest Service officer, shared a picture of the second-most trafficked mammal on the planet and asked his followers to identify the mammal's name. 

Captioning the picture, he wrote, '' Second most trafficked mammal on the planet. Do you know what it is?'' 

See the picture here:

Second most trafficked mammal on planet. Do you know what it is ? pic.twitter.com/5XwOm0qgKC

— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) January 15, 2023

While a majority of internet users guessed the right name, some were unable to identify the mammal and asked for the bureaucrat's help. After the guessing game went on for a while, Mr Kaswan wrote in the comment section that the mammal is a pangolin. He said that while being smuggled, his team managed to save the one in the picture. 

He wrote, ''It is a pangolin. Most trafficked mammal is human. This one was rescued by our team during getting smuggled. The pic was taken during release in wild. India has Indian and Chinese pangolin presence. They are trafficked for their scales mainly. For Chinese traditional medicine.'' 

Since being shared, more than 18,000 people have liked the tweet and nearly 970 people have shared the viral post on social media. 

One user asked, "Sir thanks for acquainting us so that we become better carer for nature. Can you also let us know the reason why it is trafficked so much? Is the first one #tiger or #elephant or #rhinoceros.'' The bureaucrat replied, ''First one is human. They are smuggled for their scales mainly. Used in Chinese Traditional Medicine.'' Another commented, ''It is threatened too. The pangolin is another one of those cute harmless things, another victim of traditional medicine.'' 

Pangolins are trafficked by poachers all over the world, due to their highly coveted scales which are used in traditional Chinese medicine. This illegal trade makes them vulnerable to extinction. According to World Wildlife Fund, there are 8 species of pangolins, and are protected under national and international laws. Two of them are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.