The pangolin looks almost like an animal from a fantasy book. Its body is covered in scales that protect it when it curls into a ball.
But those same scales have made it a target for the illegal wildlife trade.
Recent scientific research describes pangolins as among the most heavily traded mammals in the world. Illegal trade threatens several species.
In Ghana, as in other African countries, protecting pangolins therefore means fighting poaching, trafficking and demand for their various body parts.
Pangolins also play an important role in ecosystems: they feed mainly on ants and termites.
Protecting this unusual animal therefore also means protecting the natural ecosystems in which it plays a role.
