On Wednesday, the United Nations prohibited global trade in the extremely endangered pangolins. It is a scaly animal possessing dubious distinction of being the most poached mammal in the world.

The UN's Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species called CITES’ member states have voted to list the eight pangolin species on the convention's ‘Appendix I’, banning all kinds of cross-border transportation of the animals or the parts of their body for commercial purposes.

GinetteHemley of conservation group WWF, said, “Giving pangolins full protection under CITES will eliminate any question about legality of trade, making it harder for criminals to traffic them and increasing the consequences for those who do”.

Similar to other illegal wildlife commodity pipelines like rhino horn and elephant ivory,Africas the key source of pangolin supply, and most of the orders belong to Asia.

In Asian economies like Vietnam, Pangolin meat has been prized as a delicacy, while the scales of the animal are used in traditional medicines.

Near-sighted pangolins move out from their safe burrows or tree-top homes at night only to hunt insects. In times of crisis or when anxious, they curl up taking a shape of a ball that doesn’t work when it comes to the cable snares fixed by hunters.

There are just eight species of pangolin worldwide. They range from 30 to 100 cm (12 to 39 in) length and are at risk of extinction.

According to conservationists, the demand boom has its roots in dropping wild populations in Asia and huge numbers of Chinese workers in resource and timber sectors of Africa, present in distant areas of the continent's interior.

Jeff Flocken, North American regional director at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), sai,d “Hopefully this will be followed by increased resources and attention being devoted to saving this well armored – but utterly defensive – and wholly unique species”.