Conservationists are concerned that pangolins, a kind of scaly anteater, will become extinct due to illegal hunting and poaching, Live Science reported.

All eight pangolin species have been categorized as "critically endangered," "endangered" or "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's at-risk list, and a collective of scientists and conservationists have outlined a conservation plan to prevent the animals from becoming extinct.

"In the 21st century, we really should not be eating species to extinction--there is simply no excuse for allowing this illegal trade to continue," Jonathan Baillie, co-chair of the pangolin specialist group for the IUCN's Species Survival Commission and conservation programs director at the Zoological Society of London, said in a statement. 

Pangolin meat is in high demand in China and Vietnam, while their scales are frequently used in Chinese medicine, The Guardian reported.

Baillie said public opinion needed to shift when it comes to protecting the vulnerable pangolin, which is not as well-known as other endangered species.

"Pangolins are a group of species that are arguably forgotten in the conservation movement," Dan Challender, another co-chair of the pangolin specialist group, told Live Science. "They're nowhere near as visible as other animals like tigers and rhinos."

The action plan listed steps to protect pangolins that included shielding their strongholds in Asia and Africa and more closely tracking the sale of pangolin meat.

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