Together for Pangolins: Charity Auction

23 Jul 2024

Consisting of 16 pieces, and on view at Strauss & Co from July 23rd until the end of the online auction on July 29th, these works are by upcoming and established artists and sculptors, who have aligned themselves with this important conservation cause.

There are eight species of pangolins, four in Asia and four in Africa, separated, in the Cretaceous Era (146 – 65 million years ago), as the Continents of Gondwana and Laurasia split apart, resulting in the sharing of con-specific species, like pangolins. Currently, the Asian pangolins are listed on the IUCN Red List as Endangered and Critically Endangered – from the over harvesting and use of pangolin scales in Chinese Traditional Medicine. This has resulted in the rampant illegal trade of Africa’s pangolins, which are exported to Vietnam and China, where 60% of the population of China use traditional medicine, and pangolins are considered a powerful cure. Pangolin scales consist of keratin (like fingernails) and their curative powers have never been proved.

Pangolins, considered the “wise old man”, and “the bringer of rain”, by African indigenous cultures, are benign creatures that have no teeth and don’t vocalise, preying on ants and termites – essential for the balance of ecosystems wherever they occur. The African Pangolin Working Group was established in 2011, as one of the first three The organisation’s objectives are encompassed by its mission statement: “The African Pangolin Working Group will strive towards the conservation and protection of all four African pangolin species by generating knowledge, developing partnerships and creating public awareness and education initiatives”.

It has a footprint in both practical conservation projects, as well as strategic and landscape level conservation management strategies in South African, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Fundraising through partnerships with significant entities, like Strauss & Co, who have donated their platform for conducting this auction, is vital for the life saving work of the African Pangolin Working Group and will contribute to significant steps towards saving pangolins now and into the future.

Without fast and efficient action, pangolins could be extinct in the wild within 10 years.