They are called the shy, scaly anteaters – the pangolin – the only mammals with scales. The same keratin scales that effectively protected them for nearly 80 million years against predators in the wild, are now the reason why they are killed and one of the most illegally-trafficked mammals in the world – also in Namibia and the rest of Africa.
Of the eight pangolin species in the world, only the Temminck’s ground pangolin Smutsia temminckii, also known as the Cape pangolin, is found in Namibia and southern Africa.Their numbers are still unknown. They are the only pangolin species adapted to an arid environment.
Named after the Malay word ‘penggulung’ that means roller to describe the action a pangolin takes in self-defense, these harmless nocturnal creatures are now being captured, killed and poached to near extinction. In Namibia and South Africa, electrocution poses a similarly serious threat and mortality rates may be as high as one individual per 11 km of electrified fence per year. Some experts fear the pangolin runs the risk of becoming extinct before most people have even heard of them.
Pangolins play an extremely important ecological role of regulating insect populations. A single pangolin can consume around 70 million ants and termites per year. Researchers reckon if pangolins become extinct, it would have a cascading impact on the environment. Pangolins save farmers millions of dollars a year by saving crops and organic matter by means of pest destruction. They also contribute to a healthier ecosystem by aerating the soil and spreading nutrients from one place to another when they use their long claws to dig for insects.
Illegal trafficking to feed the Asian demand
Pangolins are killed for their meat, as well as for their scales, blood, body parts, and fetuses, which are used in traditional Chinese and African medicines. In the past decade, more than one million pangolins were reportedly illegally caught in the wild. It is estimated that at least one pangolin is killed every hour in Asia. Experts indicate that the two Critically Endangered pangolin species, the Chinese pangolin and the Sunda pangolin, could go extinct within 10 years if current trends continue.
Pangolins in Namibia and Africa face the same grim fate if stricter legislation, awareness and protective measures are not implemented and enforced immediately. According to Namibian wildlife crime reports, 491 pangolins (152 live and 339 carcasses or skins) were confiscated and 640 arrests were made between 2015 and 2021.
Earlier and ongoing research shows the main threats faced by Pangolins in Namibia include electrocution on electrified fences, the traditional medicine (muthi ) trade, climate change and drought, habitat loss, road mortalities, capture in gin traps, and potentially poisoning. Previous studies estimated that approximately 13 220 km of electrified fencing in southern Africa overlap the distribution of pangolins.
“Electrocutions arguably pose the greatest threat and mortality rates may be as high as one individual per 11 km of electrified fence per year. However, the magnitude of the threat posed by the muthi trade has not yet been quantified. Most southern African countries have adequate legislation protecting this species, although implementation is often lacking and in some instances the imposed penalties are unlikely to be a deterrent. We propose mitigating actions for many of the identified threats, although further research into the efficacy of these actions, and the development of additional mitigating procedures, is required.” A review of the anthropogenic threats faced by Temminck’s ground pangolin, Smutsia temminckii, in southern Africa: Darren W. Pietersen, Andrew E. McKechnie & Raymond Jansen (2014)
But even when perpetrators are caught and live pangolins are confiscated and released in the wild, the survival rate is poor due to various previously unknown factors.
US researcher burrows deep into pangolin ecology
It took a young, adventurist Yankee from Michigan with a passion for pangolins and a Master’s degree in Natural Resource Management focusing on Pangolin Ecology to turn the tides for the better for these persecuted mammals.
Kelsey Prediger (32) was drawn to conservation in Namibia after she became aware of the plight of the pangolin and fell in love with these gentle-natured creatures.
“I always wanted to make a difference to help endangered species where I can. I have been living in Namibia since 2016. When I learned how trafficked pangolins were, and that no published research have been done in Namibia, I thought maybe my master’s thesis can contribute to the protection and conservation of pangolins in Namibia. The focus was on the ecology of resident pangolins to better our understanding in order to improve the survival chances of released live, confiscated pangolins.”
Kelsey completed her MSc research on pangolin ecology in 2021 at the Namibia University of Science and Technology, co-supervised by the University of St Andrews in Scotland. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Pangolin Conservation and Research Foundation (PCRC), the secretary of the Namibian Pangolin Working Group (NPWG) and the co-chair for southern Africa of the IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group.
“This was the perfect opportunity to use my studies to benefit conservation. The data has been used to develop the Pangolin Conservation Management Plan for Namibia and develop other best practices and guidelines. During my studies I realized the pangolins need a voice and an advocate which is why I founded the Pangolin Conservation & Research Foundation, in hopes to inspire more conservationists to stand behind pangolin conservation.”
She travels all over Namibia, Africa and abroad. Her conservation efforts include active field research and in-situ conservation, collaborating with partners to inform policy and conservation guidelines, educating and raising awareness on their vulnerable status and engaging indigenous communities and empowering locals to raise awareness and protect pangolins.
Kelsey’s two main projects, the Nyae-Nyae Pangolin Project and the Pangolin Rehabilitation and Release Project, have already paid off.
Her groundbreaking work on the habits, habitats and the hazards that released, confiscated pangolins face in the wild was published twice in the Namibian Chamber of Environment’s renowned NCE Conservation magazine.
By tagging released pangolins with GPS satellite transmitters and VHF radio transmitters Kelsey and her team members are able to track their movements and behaviour soon after release. The pangolins are tracked and weighed at regular intervals to check their well-being and survival methods.
Shocking results in the first hard releases showed that only a small percentage survive after release due to various factors, including trauma and health issues from the poaching experience, fighting with territorial resident pangolins in the new area, as well as releasing them in areas where they cannot survive.
Kelsey hopes their ongoing research will enable them to better understand the traits and trends of these elusive nocturnal mammals so that more effective procedures can be developed for their successful release and reintegration into the wild.
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“We also employ native San Ju/’hoansi Bushmen as pangolin rangers and mentor local and international students in the Nyae-Nyae conservancy and other regions.”
Watch this video on how Kelsey’s projects not only provide job opportunities for local communities, but also educate and empower them to help protect Namibia’s endangered wildlife species.
What can farmers do?
- Raise the lowest wire of electric fences to 30 cm or deactivate it if possible to prevent smaller benevolent animals like tortoises and pangolins from being electrocuted.
- Immediately report injured pangolins to Team PCRF, so that the necessary treatment can be given and the correct release procedures can be followed.
- Immediately report poaching or suspicious activities to 55555, the Namibian Wildlife Crime Hotline
- Report live sightings and dead pangolins to team PCRF – so that they can keep track of the number of occurrences and establish an estimated population count. : info@pangolincrf.org.
- Farmers can also keep track or report sightings of pangolins here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TVH7K7B
- Farmers can also apply to have their farm used as a potential release site (nothing is guaranteed, but they will be contacted should they qualify and we need to release in their area)
- https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6VM2RK6
Interesting facts about pangolins
- There are eight species of pangolins: four in Africa and four in Asia. The Temminck’s ground pangolin Smutsia temminckii, also known as the Cape pangolin, is the only species found in Namibia and South Africa (southern and eastern Africa), although their numbers are still unknown.
- The other three African species are the black-bellied pangolin (West Africa), the white-bellied pangolin (Central & West Africa) and the Giant pangolin (Central & West Africa). The four Asian species are the Chinese pangolin, Sunda pangolin, Philippine pangolin and the Indian pangolin.
- The giant ground pangolin is the largest species of pangolin alive today. It can grow more than four feet long and weigh 70 pounds.
- Ground pangolins are bipedal, walking on their hind legs with the front limbs and tail held off the ground and used for counter-balance. Each front leg bears three formidable curved claws, which are held curled up to make walking easier.
- The life span of pangolins in the wild is unknown; however, some captive animals have lived as long as 20 years. All pangolin species have been hunted for their meat, and the organs, skin, scales, and other parts of the body are valued for their use in traditional medicine.
- Leopards, hyenas, honey badgers, lions, crocodiles and pythons are pangolin predators. To protect itself, a pangolin curls up into a tight ball, so tight that it is almost impossible for a human to unroll it!
- These shy, gentle, slow-moving, nocturnal mammals are covered in scales made of keratin (the same protein that forms human hair and fingernails). That means that chewing your own fingernails would have the same “medical effect”.
- While they are a strong defence against predators, their scales are useless against poachers, and all eight species in Asia and Africa are now under threat.
- Over the past decade, over a million pangolins have been illegally taken from the wild to feed demand in China and Vietnam. Their meat is considered a delicacy, while their scales are used in traditional Chinese medicine as they are believed to treat a range of ailments from asthma to rheumatism and arthritis.
- Pangolins have an extremely important ecological role of regulating insect populations. One single pangolin can consume around 70 million ants and termites per year. If pangolins go extinct, there would be a cascading impact on the environment. Scientists have recorded that pangolins consume 70 million insects every year. That’s about 191,780 insects per day!
- They also contribute to a healthier ecosystem by aerating the soil and spreading nutrients from one place to another when they use their long claws to dig for insects.
- Males and females mate once a year, and the females give birth to between one and (rarely) twins at a time. Baby pangolins (also known as pango pups) are born covered in soft, pink scales that harden after a couple of days.
- Breeding: Pangolins tend to be solitary except when mating, which typically occurs once a year. Males are larger than females, weighing up to 40% more. Rather than the males seeking out the females, males mark their location with urine or feces and the females will find them.
- All pangolins are covered in scales made of keratin—the same material as human fingernails—which gives them the nickname “scaly anteater.” The pangolin’s armour is so tough that even predators such as lions can’t bite through it. It is especially the young who are vulnerable to predation.
- Pangolins eat ants, termites and larvae (grubs). Because they have no teeth, pangolins pick up food with their sticky tongues, which can reach lengths greater than the animal’s body! A pangolin’s tongue can be up to 16 inches in length. They use these extraordinarily long tongues to reach insects burrowed underground.
- Pangolins have no teeth; instead they rely on a gizzard-like stomach that is adapted for grinding food.
- The pangolin’s scales make up 20 percent of its total body weight. They use their scales as tools for self-defense. If threatened, the pangolin will perform a cutting motion with its scales if anything is inserted between them—that’s a nasty shock for a strange paw or snout!
- A startled pangolin will cover its head with its front legs, exposing its scales to any potential predator. If touched or grabbed it will roll up completely into a ball, while the sharp scales on the tail can be used to lash out.
Photo credit: Kelsey Prediger – Pangolin Conservation and Research Foundation (PCRF) and internet.