10 Kwacha Tree Pangolin

The tree pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis) depicted on this issue is native to the forests of central and west Africa, including Malawi's own border regions. By 2005, pangolins were already under severe poaching pressure for bushmeat and traditional medicine markets — pressure that has since made them the most trafficked wild mammal on earth. Malawi's wildlife coin series of the mid-2000s was aimed squarely at the collector market rather than circulation, issued in silver-plated copper-nickel to keep costs accessible while maintaining a presentation-grade appearance.