Angelababy poses for pictures at the press conference of the wildlife protection launching ceremony initiated by WildAid on May 17, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

Chinese actress Yang Ying, better known by her stage name Angelababy, has become the youngest ambassador for WildAid, an environmental organization that focuses on reducing the demand for wildlife products.

While lending a hand to the official launch of the "Protecting Pangolins" campaign in China, Angelababy explains why she thinks this is a worthy cause.

"Many years ago, people had no idea consuming tusk products and shark fins would actually kill elephants and sharks. With the awareness campaigns over the years, people gained more knowledge and gradually stopped eating and buying those things. At least the people around me mostly know right from wrong now. So I think raising awareness is hugely important."

Angelababy also admits that prior to her involvement in this campaign, she did not know too much about pangolins, also known as scaly ant-eaters. Four species of the mammal live in Asia, with two in Africa.

"Like you said, pangolins are both familiar and strange to us. I never saw a pangolin with my own eyes, I just knew the name. With this campaign, I got to learn some basic facts about the animal. For example, their scales are not magic medicine that can cure all kinds of diseases. Also, their meat contains parasites, and eating it can actually harm our health."

Angelababy says it is a great honor to take on the role as the ambassador and give voice to an animal that needs more protection.

She calls on all her fans to stop consuming pangolin-related products and help spread the word.

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