Threats to Pangolins & Pangolin Conservation

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Peter Betts
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Re: Pangolin Poaching

Post by Peter Betts »

I have never seen a Pangolin


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Flutterby
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Re: Pangolin Poaching

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I have! :yes: ^0^


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Re: Pangolin Poaching

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I remember the pic :yes:


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Re: Pangolin

Post by Lisbeth »

SUPPORTING PANGOLIN CONSERVATION THROUGH A STUNNING COFFEE TABLE BOOK

by
Lisa Fanton
Friday, 14 December 2018


Image

Pangolins are the most mystical and bewitching creatures. Being the only mammals covered in hard keratinous overlapping scales, these rare animals have only been sighted in their natural habitat by the very fortunate few – often a fleeting glimpse at dawn or dusk, but nevertheless a sighting and an experience of a lifetime. Being shy, predominantly nocturnal, solitary, territorial and quiet, they are one of the very rarest sightings anyone can have.
(In order to read the rest and see the fabulous photos, click on the title)


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Re: Pangolin

Post by Lisbeth »

Saving trafficked pangolins, one release at a time

Posted on 13 December, 2018 by Guest Blogger in Animal Encounters, Conservation, Poaching, Wildlife

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The ground pangolin, also known as Temminck’s pangolin or Cape pangolin, is one of four species of pangolins which can be found in Africa © Steff McWilliam

Written by Steff McWilliam (wild_is_life)

Amidst the catastrophe of wildlife poaching and trafficking, where animals such as rhinos, lions and elephants often take the spotlight, there is one very small creature that is mostly overlooked. A creature that some people do not know what it even looks like, and others that have no idea it even exists.

This creature is the pangolin, and it just so happens that they are the most incredibly fascinating little creatures out there. As one of the weirdest-looking critters to ever walk the earth, these scaly anteaters, of which there are eight species worldwide, occur only in Africa and Asia.

It is believed that they are the most poached and trafficked animal worldwide – more than rhinos, elephants, and lions. By a lot!

Image
© Steff McWilliam

It’s estimated that more than a million of these sentient beings have been poached from the wild over the past decade and trafficked in the illicit wildlife trade all over the world. The driving force behind this is partly the demand for their meat – which is considered a delicacy in some countries – but mainly it is for their hard, keratinous scales that are (falsely) believed to yield magical medicinal qualities – which they most certainly do not.

Seizures of pangolins and their scales have soared disturbingly in the last decade, with one shipment weighing in at 11.9 tons of scales alone. A new comprehensive analysis done by TRAFFIC has confirmed that a combined minimum of 120 tons worth of pangolins and their scales were seized from international traffickers between 2010 and 2015, with an average of 20-25 tons a year!

Image
© Steff McWilliam

It may sound like a hopeless case for pangolins, but fortunately there are those out there determined to help save these vulnerable creatures. I’m here to tell you about a group of incredibly passionate and dedicated people fighting for the survival of a pangolin species right here in Johannesburg, South Africa. And most importantly about the pangolins that made it back to the wild.

The African Pangolin Working Group in conjunction with the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital and the Human Society International have come together to create a formidable team in the fight for their survival. They have given months and years of their lives to give poached and traded pangolins the best possible chance of survival, and at no small cost.

Notorious for being very difficult to keep alive in captivity, the team continues to painstakingly take each rescued pangolin out every day for up to eight or more hours to forage for their natural food items: ants and termites.

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A ground pangolin forages for food in a termite mound © Steff McWilliam

Over the past year alone the African Pangolin Working Group, the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital and the Humane Society International have managed to intercept and rescue more than 30 pangolins from the illegal wildlife trade, with a great deal of assistance from the South African Police Department.

A short while back two of the pangolins that were lucky enough to find themselves in the loving, capable hands of the experts at the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital, were finally returned back to their wild home after multiple tests, scans and checks were conducted at the hospital to ensure they were healthy and strong enough to resume their wild lives.

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One of the rescued pangolins with a GPS tracker attached to its scales © Steff McWilliam

On one particular Friday morning not too long ago, Professor Ray Jansen from the African Pangolin Working Group fitted both pangolins with GPS trackers (costing close to R30,000), to ensure their safety and well-being.

After many days of planning we arrived to pick them up (no small task) and began our long drive to freedom to an undisclosed location. Once we arrived we set up camp and scouted the area for the best termite mounds and ant nests around and began what in the animal rehabilitation world is called a ‘soft release’ process.

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One of the pangolins on his way to be released back into the wild © Steff McWilliam

We opened the boxes and off they went, trundling into the darkness with us in hot pursuit, maintaining a distance far enough to make them comfortable but close enough to make sure we didn’t lose them! To help us in our struggle to keep track of them, we fitted reflective bicycle lights onto their scales (which we later removed) that emitted a constant dull light for us to follow. Like ghosts in the darkness.

With the radio telemetry tracking device and aerial in hand, along with our backpacks stocked with food, torches, spare batteries, a GPS and absolutely no signal on our cell phones, we each set off into the star-lit dark of the African wild.

In an area home to hippos, leopards and buffalo, we cautiously followed the pangolins as they effortlessly walked on their hind legs over rocky terrain, down steep inclines and into deep drainage lines. There was no shortage of spiders and their webs for us to walk through as we attempted to navigate our way through the thick and spiny vegetation in pursuit of two very (unfortunately) fortunate little beings.

Image
© Steff McWilliam

Watching them snuffle around the dark, the wild smell in their noses once more, their intelligent little black eyes lit up and you could see their visible excitement.

After a few days of constant observation we removed their reflective bicycle lights and that night they wandered off alone, truly wild once again.

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© Steff McWilliam

Of all the animals I’ve ever worked with there have been none as mystifyingly captivating as a pangolin.

Partly due to their bizarre appearance but also due to their personalities and helplessness. For millennia these animals have thrived with one of the simplest yet most effective defences of any animal on the planet: rolling up into a protective ball of hard scales. It protects them from the jaws of lions, hyenas, and leopards, but it can’t protect them from us. A defence that once protected them from the planet’s most fierce predators has, in a few decades, become completely redundant. People who come across them simply pick them up and put them in a bag. They don’t bite, they don’t attack, they don’t even try to run away. A creature that has been perfected by time has ultimately been defeated by its own defence.

It is painfully ironic but is also a poignant sign of our involvement in the destruction of our planet’s wildlife and wilderness areas, and a reminder of how badly they need our help, how much they deserve our help.

There may be many that slip through our open hands, but the tireless efforts of the employees and volunteers at each respective group has been absolutely awe-inspiring to witness as well as saddening as the donations and support dwindle, with the future of a species on the line.

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© Steff McWilliam

As we head into the Christmas season please keep these little guys in your thoughts as well as the groups dedicated to protecting them. I want to ask each and every one of you to challenge yourself to make at least one small sacrifice for the vulnerable and the helpless.

Whatever it is, it will be a positive step towards pangolin conservation and protection, whether it’s a potential sponsorship, a small donation or a simple thank you to those who will be working tirelessly throughout the Christmas season and into the New Year to save a species that is, in my opinion, well worth saving.

Image
© Steff McWilliam


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Re: Pangolin

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"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
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Re: Pangolin

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:evil: :evil:


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Mel
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Re: Pangolin

Post by Mel »

They seem so trusting and placid when handled by a good-meaning human -
really lovely when you try to forget the dark side of their lifes (or lack thereof…)

What a mess! Somebody should invent reconstruct pangolin scales from fingernail clippings O/


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Re: Pangolin Poaching

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Pangolins in peril: The world's most illegally traded mammal

2019-01-21 20:26

Conservation Action Trust

Image
Vet nurse with Ramphy. (Supplied: Neil Aldridge)

Slowly, the tiny ball in the wooden crate began to unwind. Its scales moved and a pointy nose followed by two black button eyes emerged. Natalie was entranced. The baby pangolin unwrapped its tail, holding out its front legs and gazed at her, asking to be picked up. It was love at first sight.

Natalie is a veterinary nurse, used to caring for all sorts of African animals – but this young pangolin is a first for her.

Ramphy – named after the good Samaritan who had seen it fall off the back of a pick-up and bounce onto the tarmac – was brought into the Rhino Revolution at the end of October. It is thought that sadly his mother was also on the vehicle, having been taken by poachers to be sold – alive or frozen – as food and fake medicine in Asia, the Conservation Action Trust reports.

Natalie recalled "When Ramphy first arrived, he used to shake every time I opened his box".

It was heart-breaking to realise that he was trembling from fear, missing his mother and terrified what this human was going to do to him. He has now calmed down and it touches my heart to see him with his little front arms outstretched, wanting to be picked up. He just wants to curl round my neck".

Young pangolins stay with their mother until they are about a year old, riding on their mum's back, and so Ramphy wants close contact for reassurance. He is one of eight pangolins that have been brought into the Rhino Revolution Orphanage, since September.

Rhino Revolution has formed an alliance with the African Pangolin Working Group to provide a rehabilitation service and centre for pangolins being seized from poachers in the Lowveld.

Pangolins are now the world's most illegally traded mammal.

They are being seized from poachers by the Hemmersbach Anti-poaching Unit. After being kept illegally in captivity the pangolins are arriving severely compromised – very stressed, badly malnourished and dehydrated.

The rescued pangolin require round the clock, 24/7 medical care and support. They are being fed with a supplementary protein feed, via a feeding tube, to try and improve their nutrition.

At night, if well enough, the pangolin is "walked" in the bush for them to find their own food supply of ants and termites, to encourage natural feeding behaviours and dietary intake as soon as possible.

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A rescued pangolin. (Supplied: Neil Aldridge)

They are accompanied by an armed guard for security reasons.

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An armed guard accompanying a pangolin on an evening walk. (Supplied: Niel Aldridge)

"It is exhausting work, looking after the pangolins," explained Natalie.

"Pangolins are mainly nocturnal, and walking in the bush can take many hours every night. I am amazed to see the different personalities these pangolins have. Pumpkin, who was brought in on Halloween, is so feisty and brave whereas Aura (named after the windy weather on the day she was rescued) is very timid and nervous. Poor Ramphy is still too little to really walk much at night – but he comes along for the ride, as he is awake at night and wanting cuddles."

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Baby Ramphy. (Supplied: Neil Aldridge)


Rhino Revolution's aim is to release the pangolins back into the wild as soon as possible – once they are healthy and weigh more than 5kg.

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Baby pangolin being weighed. (Supplied: Neil Aldridge)

The first pangolins have already been released, each wearing a GPS & VHF tracker, so their progress and well-being can be monitored remotely. They are being released into secure reserves in areas as near to where they were found as possible, and monitored remotely by researchers.

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A pangolin being walked to forage naturally. (Supplied: Neil Aldridge)

As Natalie picked up Ramphy on their evening walk, she sighs and said "the hardest thing about caring for pangolins is how little is known about them".

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Vet nurse picking up baby Ramphy. (Supplied: Neil Aldridge)

"This dramatic escalation in poaching has only just started. Everything we are doing and trying is new – it feels like we are at the cutting edge of the rehabilitation and re-wilding of this little-known animal. Most people don't know what a pangolin is, and even fewer have been lucky enough to see one in the wild.

"But pangolins just don't seem to tug at the heart-strings – or wallets – like orphaned rhino. We run the real risk of them becoming extinct before most people have even heard of them."

On that sombre note, Natalie walks off into the darkness, Ramphy riding shot-gun on her shoulder – accompanied by their armed guard.

Rhino Revolution's veterinary and husbandry costs are rapidly escalating. If you would like to help please see www.givengain.com/cc/rhinorevolutionpangolin/ or www.rhinorevolution.org/donate


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Re: Pangolin Poaching

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Pangolin rescued from poachers in Limpopo

Posted on 8 February, 2019 by News Desk in News, Poaching, Wildlife and the News Desk post series

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The female pangolin was confiscated from the poachers and given water immediately © Welgevonden Game Reserve

Press release from Welgevonden Game Reserve, written by Jessica Oosthuyse

A joint security operation led to the arrest of five pangolin poachers in Vaalwater, Limpopo earlier this February.

“We received word of a pangolin sale in the area and immediately followed up”, says Kassie Knoetze, Head of Security at Welgevonden Game Reserve.

Kassie and his team went on to lead a joint security operation during which they intercepted the deal and arrested five suspects. Based on the available evidence, two individuals were directly linked to the crime and have since been detained.

The pangolin, a female that was poached in the Waterberg region, was found in the boot of the perpetrators’ vehicle and is believed to have survived up to two weeks in the wildlife trade without food or water.

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The pangolin was found in the boot of the perpetrators’ vehicle © Welgevonden Game Reserve

The animal was rushed to a veterinary clinic in Modimolle where she was successfully stabilised before being admitted to the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital.

“Upon assessment, we discovered that the pangolin’s stomach was empty of food and infected with parasitic hookworms,” says Ray Jansen, Chairperson of the African Pangolin Working Group. “Veterinarians have since de-wormed the animal and fed her a protein-rich food supplement that should help boost her recovery.”

The African Pangolin Working Group, established in 2011, works closely with the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital to protect and rehabilitate pangolins across Africa.

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The pangolin was treated at the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital © Welgevonden Game Reserve

“This young female pangolin is severely compromised, dehydrated and malnourished. Her full recovery depends on her ability to regain her strength, fight infection and to start foraging naturally as soon as possible,” says Ray.

Ray and his team will oversee the rehabilitation of the pangolin, a process that will hopefully lead to her reintroduction back into the wild.

The arrest would not have been possible without the collaborative efforts of Welgevonden Game Reserve, SAPS’s Endangered Species Unit Limpopo and Quemic (a safety and security company based at Shambala Game Reserve).

“Once again we see that combined efforts and joint initiatives are the key to successful operations and the safe keeping of South Africa’s wildlife species,” says Kassie.

This is the first pangolin poaching related arrest in the Vaalwater area.

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Pangolin being treated at Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital
© Welgevonden Game Reserve


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