There’s been a mix of the encouraging and discouraging news this week as China introduces new animal protections which benefit pangolins, but our own country falls behind on animal welfare. Ruby Rose joins the growing list of celebrities who are speaking up about the benefits of veganism.

China Removes Pangolins from Traditional Medicine list

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Thank you! We raised over $6000 today for #GivingTuesday! If you haven’t donated, these is still time. Pictured is the world’s first captive bred and born White-bellied Tree Pangolin, born right here at Pangolin Conservation. Since then, more babies have been born with several members of the Pangolin Consortium! I think we have it just about figured out! 🙂 Be part of the future, be part of the change. DONATE today at PangolinConservation.org 2x the Impact! Can you help us reach the finish line so we can continue our work protecting pangolins in West Africa, establishing a population of pangolins safe from poaching, and finding the most efficient ways to decrease demand for Pangolin products? It is our goal to protect pangolins from extinction. Your funds will be matched by an generous donor, dollar for dollar. Pangolins are under the threat of extinction. This is primarily due to traditional medicine practitioners falsely believing their scales have healing properties, despite being made of keratin, the same material that your hair and fingernails are made of. Look closely at the unique scales and you'll notice the interesting ridges. These are remnants of the highly modified and fused hairs forming the individual scale. These fascinatingly tough plates provide protection for the pangolin when it curls into a tight ball, ensuring they’re safe from most predators, except for humans. Photo by Tim Flach, taken at our facility in Florida. #GivingTuesday #Pangolins #PangolinConservation #Pangolin #Conservation #Endangered #EndangeredSpecies #Threatened #ThreatenedSpecies #BeTheFuture #ProtectWhatYouLove #NonProfit

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For the first time this year, pangolin scales have been removed from the official list of ingredients in Chinese medicine. This is excellent news, as pangolin populations have dramatically dwindled in recent years as a result of illegal poaching – leading the animal to reach a critically endangered status. Zhou Jinfeng, secretary-general of the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF), said that he was ‘very encouraged’ by the step towards discouraging their medicinal use.

This comes after months of rumours that a pangolin was a ‘host carrier’ of Covid – 19 in that infamous Wuhan wet market. Thankfully, this worldwide tragedy has opened up international conversations about exotic animal trading and its potential risks: including extinction and zoonotic disease.

Although this is by no means an end to illegal wildlife trade, and pangolins continue to be a critically endangered species, it is definitely a step in the right direction. We can only hope that this is a beginning of a movement away from animal cruelty in traditional medicine, and that there are fewer pangolins for sale in years to come.

Animal cruelty more important than safety in Western Australia

Two days ago, ABC announced that a heard of 56,000 sheep Stranded off the coast of Western Australia would be sent to the middle east despite a shipping ban. This is likely due to the scale of the shipment, which has an estimated worth of approximately 12 million dollars.

The problem is – these laws are in place to protect the welfare of these animals. On such a long voyage they can be prone to overheating and dehydration which could prove fatal. Although a vet will join them on their journey – these concerns are still very real for the animals welfare. The RSPCA has condemned this, citing concerns for the welfare of the sheep and questioning why laws placed in the interest of animal welfare would be ignored simply for a profit.

Ruby Rose is a Vegan

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Gimme that D… no no NOT THAT D

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This month in Vogue Australia, celebrity actress and radio host Ruby Rose again spoke out about her vegan lifestyle. A veteran vegan, Rose has been speaking up for years on the benefits of her lifestyle and what she believes is an ethical obligation to pursue veganism.

In vogue, Rose discussed how she tries to protect her immune system for winter with a variety of vegetables and hearty soup recipes. She also expressed her renewed interest for experimenting in the kitchen during quarantine. We always love to hear that there are people continuing to prove that vegan food doesn’t have to be bland or boring, and we might want a serve of her minestrone.

Find more vegan news here.

Image: Ruby Rose/Instagram

About the Author

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Lucy Bailey is 18 years old and has been vegan for 9 months. Lucy is an award winning public speaker and passionate writer on animal issues. For her vegan activism, Lucy has been awarded the Sydney University Leadership Award and a Sydney Scholars Award in 2019.

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