Traditional-medical knowledge and perception of pangolins (Manis sps) among the Awori people, Southwestern Nigeria

Bibliographic Data

ID4636069
AuthorsDurojaye A Soewu (Covenant University, corresponding author), Temilolu A Adekanola (Olabisi Onabanjo University)
Year2011
Volume7
Issue1
Pages25-25
Publication date2011-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1746-4269 • E-ISSN: 1746-4269
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1186/1746-4269-7-25
PMID21884607
PMCIDPMC3179697
OpenAlexW2073520525
LanguageEN
Citations received13
References cited12

Background Animals have been used as medicinal resources throughout human history. Majority of wildlife used in traditional medicines is taken from the wild; hence demand by traditional medicine is a cause of over-exploitation of wild animals. Indiscriminate use of endangered species portends grievous implications for biodiversity conservation. This study investigated the dynamics of the use of pangolin in trado-medicinal preparations amongst the Awori people. Methods Forty traditional Yorubic-medical practitioners (tymps) selected through stratified random-sampling technique were interviewed using open-ended questionnaires. Various aspects of the utilisation of pangolin in traditional medicinal practices were investigated. Data collected were analysed using simple frequencies and percentages. Results An average of 1.6 pangolins were utilised per tymp per month. About 43% of respondents contracted hunters for deliberate searches for the animals. More than 92% believed that pangolins' abundance is steadily decreasing. Above 97% reported a continuous decline in the size of pangolin. Pangolin was used in treating 47 conditions. Situations accommodated included those that can be treated by orthodox medicine like rheumatism and venereal diseases as well as some that are out of range for orthodox medicine including kleptomania and good luck charms. Some substitute animals like gorilla are under a greater conservation threat than pangolin. Conclusions Utilisation of pangolin in traditional medicine has no consideration for sustainability. Awareness should be created on people as regards the implications of unsustainable depletion of medicinal resources. Efforts should be intensified on ex-situ breeding of pangolin while subjecting the scales and other parts to laboratory studies to determine the bioactive constituents

Agroforestry · Biodiversity · Biology · Critically endangered · Endangered species · Environmental health · Geography · Pangolin · Population · Socioeconomics · Sociology · Sustainability · Threatened species · Traditional knowledge · Traditional medicine · Wildlife · Ethnobotanical and Medicinal Plants Studies · Livestock and Poultry Management · Medicine · Primate Behavior and Ecology · Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation · Ecology