Seeing a pangolin in the wild is always a special occasion, and seeing one thriving after being rescued from poaching even more so. Pangolin Africa posted a video of a female pangolin they had released back into the wild, foraging for food.
‘Meet Askham! She is one of our recent releases, rescued from wildlife poachers in South Africa in July. We are grateful to the Hawks Directorate For Priority Crime Investigation for their role in her successful retrieval, and for bringing her into our care at the Kalahari Wildlife Project– our rehabilitation partner,’ the organisation said.
‘As you can see she has developed a very healthy appetite (!) which was one of the positive signs that she was ready for release back into the wild. We’ll continue to monitor her until we’re confident she is surviving well in her new environment,’ they concluded.
Watch Askham below:
There are four pangolin species found in Africa: Temminck’s pangolin (vulnerable), white-bellied pangolin (endangered), giant ground pangolin (endangered) and the black-bellied pangolin (vulnerable).
Pangolins have been driven to near-extinction by poachers who hunt these animals for their meat and scales. In China, pangolin scales are used in traditional medicine and are falsely believed to have healing properties. In Vietnam their meat is considered a delicacy. There are also 4 species of pangolin found throughout Asia: The Chinese, Indian, Sunda and Philippine pangolin.
Picture: Screenshot of video by Pangolin Africa
ALSO READ
Heartwarming video of pangolin pup being bottle fed by wildlife vet
