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 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.
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. They are accompanied by an armed guard for security reasons.
“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”.
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 5kgs. 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.
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. 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 an 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. Contact Harriet Nimmo, Rhino Revolution, info@rhinorevolution.org, 079 437 6079. Photo copyright: Neil Aldridge.
** This is a guest post for Conservation Action Trust. Read my other shared posts by CAT here. For more information connect with Sally Dowling at administrator@conservationaction.co.za or through their website. Look out for other guest posts from the Conservation Action team as I put my support behind their unwavering efforts to save our wildlife.
2 Responses
I really found myself welling up as I read this, it seems unreal that there are so many creatures now protected by armed guards. I just cannot comprehend the madness of poaching something into extinction; apart from how horrific it is, it’s surely nonsensical when they are in demand? Like, DUH, they’ve gotta be able to mature and breed…
I’d love to see a Pangolin with my own eyes, I only heard about their existence last year, on first seeing one in a meme I thought it was CGI or a toy, I’m now smitten.
Thank you for writing such an interesting piece on the issues these creatures face.
Dear Kelly, thank you so much for reading and for commenting. I agree that it’s hard to fathom why any protected animal is poached in this way. Especially heartbreaking stats of how these gorgeous creatures suffer … I actually am writing from a game reserve in KZN where I’m learning about the protection of our rhino, another sad story. It really seems to never end. One can only hope that the protection by armed guards will eventually make a difference, and deter the attacks by poachers … And fingers crossed your wish to see a pangolin in the wild comes true for you x.