Threats to Pangolins & Pangolin Conservation

[Richprins]

Rog!

[Mel]

I so would like to see one in real

Love the second video particularly

[nan]

me too

didn't know they climb trees

[Flutterby]

Such cute creatures!

[Lisbeth]

Do pangolins have ecotourism potential? Please complete this survey


Posted on 4 June, 2018 by Guest Blogger in Research


A ground pangolin in southern Africa © Christian Boix

Written by Enrico Di Minin

It is a known fact that pangolins have now become a highly threatened species, brought on by the illegal wildlife trade – their meat and scales in high demand on the black market, especially in Asia. According to the IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group, pangolins are now the most illegally traded mammal in the world, with more than one million individuals illegally harvested from the wild.

Effectively conserving species like pangolins is expensive while resources are scarce. Revenue from ecotourism may help generate crucial funding needed for the conservation of the species. However, pangolins are very elusive animals (being mainly nocturnal) and most tourists are unaware of their presence when on safari. As a result, their ecotourism value is mostly unknown.

For that reason, a group of researchers at the University of Helsinki in Finland and the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa is trying to assess the ecotourism value of pangolins in order to inform strategies that can create incentives for their conservation and enhance their persistence in the wild.

The researchers have developed an online survey that will generate important information to support pangolin conservation. All readers of Africa Geographic are kindly invited to fill in the survey, which will only take 10-15 minutes and is completely anonymous.

The link to the pangolin survey: https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/89645/lomake.html

Thank you for participating!

[Lisbeth]

2018-06-19 12:41




A pangolin from the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital forages for food, near Johannesburg. (Denis Farrell, AP)

Monitored by a conservationist, a young pangolin slurped ants with a long tongue near a veterinary hospital that became a temporary home after the animal was found near the body of its mother, killed by a jolt from an electric fence. The six-month-old scaly anteater foraged on a hillside, building up strength in a tiny step for a global campaign to save one of the world's most heavily trafficked mammals.

Traffickers often sell the pangolin meat locally and ship the scales for use in traditional medicine in Asia, mainly China. The growing illegal industry has prompted plans in South Africa for a rehabilitation centre for sick or rescued pangolins as well as the deployment of sniffer dogs specially trained to detect the scales' pungent aroma.

Africa's four species of pangolins are under increasing pressure from poachers because Asia's four species have been decimated, according to experts. While commercial trade in all eight species is forbidden, international confiscations of African pangolin scales amounted to about 47 tons in 2017, more than double the quantity seized in the previous year, said the African Pangolin Working Group, a conservation organisation based in South Africa.

"The rate of escalation is astounding," said Eric Ichikowitz, director of a South African foundation.

The Ichikowitz Family Foundation, which has previously trained dogs to detect rhino horn, has funded the training of several dogs that will check for hidden pangolin scales at South African borders, Ichikowitz said.

Pangalorium

The foundation has also acquired land near Johannesburg for construction of a "pangalorium" – a research and medical centre for pangolins, including the growing number of live animals seized in sting operations, he said.

Pangolin scales contain keratin, a protein also found in rhino horn and human fingernails. There is no scientific proof that they provide any medicinal value. Conservationists say well over 1 million pangolins have been poached since around 2000; the various kinds range from vulnerable to critically endangered on a list of threatened species.

About 10 rescued pangolins have been treated at the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital since last year. Pangolins, which curl into a ball when they feel threatened, fare poorly in captivity and have to be taken into a natural setting to feed. The health of those that are transported alive by traffickers easily deteriorates.

Not all 10 of the rescued pangolins have survived. A male pangolin that was seized in a recent law enforcement bust had a fractured leg, possibly from a snare, and received two surgeries. The animal could not recover and was euthanised. And the young female pangolin found near the body of its mother was later released into the wild but weakened and died from pneumonia.

Jail sentences

"There's so little known about pangolins – their diseases, their parasites and what affects them – that it's all a work in progress," said Nicci Wright, a wildlife rehabilitation specialist and a consultant to the African branch of the Humane Society International, an animal protection group.

One pangolin that was confiscated in Johannesburg after being brought from Zimbabwe had been doused in bleach, apparently to disguise its strong natural smell at the border, Wright said. Another was covered in pig manure for the same reason. In a different case, Wright said, a rescued pangolin was "absolutely pitch black" because it had been drenched in fuel while being clandestinely transported by car.

There are currently about 30 pangolin trafficking cases in the South African courts, a sharp increase from previous years. Conservationists are encouraged by several jail sentences – the first ever – for pangolin poachers and traders in South Africa starting last year. The punishments range from three to seven years in prison.

While the export of pangolin scales to Asia surges, there have been instances of traffickers apparently trying to sell live pangolins to people they think will want to rehabilitate the animals, in what amounts to a form of ransom, said Raymond Jansen, chairperson of the African Pangolin Working Group.

"This is the feeling I'm getting," Jansen said. "We're not quite sure what to make of it."

https://www.news24.com/Green/News/plans ... a-20180619

[Flutterby]

Conservationists say well over 1 million pangolins have been poached since around 2000

This is mind-boggling!!!

[Richprins]

They used to be almost impossible to raise in captivity once weaned...like other anteaters. Hopefully sorted now?

[Lisbeth]

After having read the above, I doubt very much that many will survive in captivity.

[Lisbeth]

Chinese donations provide boost to pangolin protection in South Africa

BY HUMANE SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL/AFRICA - 15 JUNE 2018 - HSI PRESS RELEASE



Johannesburg, South Africa (June 2018) – Humane Society International/Africa and the African Pangolin Working Group have received donations from four leading Chinese businesses and community organizations in South Africa to purchase telemetry tracking units, receivers and antennas for monitoring pangolins. This is the first time that Africa-based Chinese businesses and civic groups have contributed specifically to pangolin protection. Pangolins, poached to meet a demand for their scales and meat in Asia, are a protected species and are considered the most trafficked mammals in the world. South Africa has emerged as one of the few countries in the world with dedicated efforts for pangolin rescue and rehabilitation

HSI/Africa, the African Pangolin Working Group and the Johannesburg Veterinary Wildlife Hospital work together to rehabilitate and release pangolins rescued from poachers destined for the illegal trade. The sponsored tracking units will be deployed on the rescued pangolins before they are released back to the wild, enabling the conservationists to monitor their movement and behavior. Close monitoring will give these imperiled animals the highest chance of survival post release, and significantly contribute to the scientific knowledge pool of these elusive creatures.



The donations were presented during the Africa-China Wildlife Conservation Conference organized by the China-Africa Reporting Project of the University of Witwatersrand and partners Global Max Media Group, China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation, Nature Guardian Wildlife Conservation Centre and China House. The Conference focused on wildlife conservation and environmental preservation and aimed to build a platform for deeper dialogue and intervention between Chinese communities in Africa and wildlife conservation organizations. Humane Society International was one of the sponsors of the conference.

“As the largest destination for the illegal trade in pangolin specimens, China must step up to the plate to protect the world’s most trafficked mammal and send a clear message that this trade is unacceptable,” said Audrey Delsink, executive director of HSI/Africa. “These generous donations are a vital boost to our pangolin conservation project and reflect a keenness by the Chinese community in South Africa to be part of global efforts to protect pangolins. We hope that the wonderful support we’ve received from these Chinese groups will create a ripple effect and help generate more awareness both here and in China to reduce demand for pangolin scales and parts. Pangolins need all the support they can get.”

“If we want to reverse the global poaching and trade in pangolins, then those countries that serve as primary destinations for these animals need to be actively involved in making a firm stand in the prevention and reduction of this trade,” said Professor Ray Jansen, chairman of the African Pangolin Working Group. “Today, for the first time, China has shown a commitment to pangolin conservation in South Africa, a significant step towards the conservation of Africa’s pangolins from a country that witnesses the large majority of pangolin trade.”

Mr H.E. Lin Songtian, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of South Africa, gave a keynote speech at the conference. Ambassador Lin said “for the Chinese citizen, no matter whether he is in China or anywhere else, the Chinese government follows the policy of ‘zero tolerance’ on any crimes against wildlife. We fully support South Africa and other African countries to strictly punish all these crimes according to law, and we strongly call upon judicial and law enforcement institutions of South Africa and other African countries to stop the practice of allowing criminals get off prison sentences by paying a rather small fine. We are prepared to strengthen cooperation with South African law enforcement, enhance information sharing, and jointly introduce toughest measures to punish and deter these criminal activities”. Frances Craigie, chief enforcement director of the Department of Environmental Affairs, spoke on behalf of the South African government.

HSI/Africa has rescued 12 pangolins during the last two years in collaboration with the African Pangolin Working Group and Johannesburg Veterinary Wildlife Hospital. A young male pangolin named Silver, who was rescued from the trade, was released back to the wild the day before the conference took place. Of the eight species of pangolin, four are listed as vulnerable, two as endangered and two as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. For more information and regular updates on pangolin rescue and rehabilitation in South Africa, visit hsi.org/world/africa/ and follow HSI-Africa on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Media contacts:

South Africa: Leozette Roode, Media and Outreach Manager, Humane Society International/Africa, lroode@hsi.org, +2771 360 1104

United Kingdom: Wendy Higgins, Director of International Media, Humane Society International, whiggins@hsi.org

Humane Society International and its partner organisations together constitute one of the world’s largest animal protection organisations. For more than 25 years, HSI has been working for the protection of all animals through the use of science, advocacy, education and hands on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty worldwide – on the Web at hsi.org.