A Scaly Story — In Search Of The Strangest And Most Threatened Animal On Earth
A heart-warming account of a writer’s fascination with the pangolin
‘Stories are instruments of power, just like maps of a territory. People who colour in the universe with roads and borders, characters and scenes are the creators of culture, and soon afterwards, the guardians of a desired order. Pangolins often arrive on the scene in a story when a community needs to be held together.’
Anne Broeksma has been fascinated by unspoilt nature, jungles and wildlife ever since she was a small girl. During a jungle ritual with a hallucinogenic leaf-drink, she meets not herself, but the pangolin. This marks the beginning of an obsession that leads to a sensational journey of discovery. The pangolin, a mysterious ‘tree dragon’, becomes her guide in a year-long quest that takes her from the rainforests of Cambodia to the savannahs of Tanzania. When the COVID virus is found in pangolins in China, Broeksma’s once obscure favourite animal becomes world-famous overnight.
The pangolin, a cute, toothless creature with a long tongue and scales, whose various species populate Africa and Asia, provides the ingress to stories of colonial history, Chinese traditional medicine, evolution, anthropology, ecotourism, and the illegal wildlife trade. This evolutionary miracle is the most poached mammal in the world, supporting a massive illegal trade network. While a poacher in Nigeria can earn 5-10 dollars for a kilo of scales, the same amount is worth 500-1000 dollars at the end of the chain in China. In 2019 in Singapore, a record-breaking freight of 14,000 kilos was intercepted, equivalent to approximately 36,000 pangolins. Yet with the right intervention, this endearing mammal can be brought back from the brink of extinction.
A Scaly Story is an inspiring and poetic ode to the wild world that still exists. It urges you to follow your fascination, even when the future looks bleak.
A fascinating, poetically-written travelogue that has received excellent reviews
Each of the 12 chapters opens with a charming pencil drawing
The trade in wildlife is the fourth largest illegal activity in the world, after arms, drugs and human trafficking
Long confused by Europeans with the armadillo, the pangolin was popularised by Georges-Louis Lerclerc in his 1749 Histoire Naturelle, and became a coveted symbol of colonial power
Rights
Shared Stories
Hayo Deinum
hayo@sharedstories.nl
“It is mind-boggling to read how an animal I will probably never see in real life is so connected to the beauty and tragedy of our age.”
“A compelling travelogue. [...] The book is a unique portrait of an animal that doesn’t fit any pigeonhole. [...] Broeksma’s fascination with the pangolin is infectious, and her use of language is wonderful. A touch of dry humour and a critical view of our own species complete the book.”
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