In News This Week: Pangolins, Ruby Rose & More

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
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
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
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.
Our writers independently select all products featured on The Vegan Company. We only recommend products and services we love – and think you’ll love too. Just letting you know that when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
What are your thoughts?