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A petition from environmentalists to reprimand Beijing for illegally trading an endangered species could ultimately bar US imports of any wildlife from China amid heightened concerns about the role animals play in pandemics.
The Center for Biological Diversity and other environmental groups want the Department of the Interior to go after China for its treatment of pangolins – the world’s only scaled mammal and the most trafficked – through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) treaty.
If the agency moves forward with the request, President Trump could decide to prohibit importation of all wildlife from China, dealing a significant financial blow to Beijing. Former President Clinton took similar steps against Taiwan in 1994 to crack down on the sale of tiger bones and rhino horns.
Pangolins are being studied as a possible intermediary host of the coronavirus, making them a prime target for Republicans looking to punish China for the spread of COVID-19. The disease has been linked to a group of viruses carried by bats, but efforts to trace its origins are ongoing.
While the sale of pangolins has already been banned in China, a steady market remains for the animal’s scales, which are marketed to increase blood circulation and lactation.
