URGENT: On January 23, rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo sent ransom demands to conservationists in the region. Their bargaining chip? A pangolin, the world's most trafficked mammal. We can't let these actions become the norm – or else all of Africa's beloved wildlife will be fair game for kidnapping.

Ransom notes aren't the only risk pangolins face. Their meat and scales – purported to have medicinal properties without any scientific basis – remain in high demand. Worse than a false cure, the trade is a health risk. It's not confirmed that pangolins were the origin of COVID-19, but they are known to carry related viruses, and experts are near certain that COVID-19 was transmitted from animals to humans. If you need another reason to denounce the illegal trade, it's that every day this animal is trafficked, we risk a new pandemic.

Worse than any natural predator, humans are decimating pangolins. We must scale up our efforts to save them.

Show your commitment and stand up against the cruel targeting of this threatened species. Add your name as 1 of 50,000 advocates before we see another innocent pangolin poached, held hostage, or worse.