The odd job of a pangolin carer

Have you heard of a pangolin? Would you recognize one? For many people, the pangolin is unfortunately known, only as a family of species, which have been poached for their scales (made of keratin, and with no medicinal basis) such that of the 8 species, half are endangered and the other half critically endangered. Click on any of the mentions of pangolin on this page to be taken to our pangolin family species page. This poaching is so extreme, that some estimate that this family of species are the most trafficked in the world.

Pangolin are very hard to take care of, which is why there are so few in zoos around the world. Indeed, the vast majority of even wildlife guides in somewhere like the Kruger have never seen a pangolin, even if they are known to exist in the park. A pangolin carers job, is to look after a pangolin, take it into the bush, and find places with many ants and termites, and generally get it ready to return to the wild.

This is essential, in places like Gorongosa national park (part of the greater limpopo, and with a destination listed on this site), where they have a wildlife centre, to rescue trafficked pangolins, feed, them, nurse them back to health, take them on walks and eventually release them to live their original wild life.

Each day, they are taken out into a wild part of the park, where there are lots of ants and termites, as well as water and mud. The pangolins are then free to play, eat and reconnect with nature for several hours, before they are taken back to sleep again. It should be noted, that this is not standard behaviour, in only one respect – they are very rarely awake during the day, when living in the wild.

The issue, as with much illegal work (from prostitution, to drug trade in the same way as poaching) is that these jobs are often turned to, when there is nothing else. Due to the poaching and other problems, many reserves across the world do not get enough visitors, which therefore means that far from being a source of income, the national park becomes something to be resented, as it merely removes a large amount of local land.

Pangolin carers, are often well educated (this diary was about someone who had a veterinary degree) but education needs to improve as well as job opportunities in these remote parts of the world (we are trying to be a part of the solution)