WFFT’S WILDLIFE WATCH: MEET THE PANGOLIN, THE WORLD’S MOST ILLEGALLY TRAFFICKED MAMMAL

Our new WFFT’s Wildlife Watch column showcases the wonderful array of wildlife that live in or around the Hua Hin region.

Each month, the animal experts over at Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT) will give us an in-depth look at a local species that’s native to nearby national parks.

Based in Phetchaburi and just an hour’s drive from Hua Hin, WFFT is one of South East Asia’s largest wildlife rescue centres and cares for over 700 rescue animals including tigers, elephants and primates. This month, WFFT’s Project Director Tom Taylor tells us about the unique pangolin.

With Thailand being one of the most bio-diverse countries on Earth, it is no easy task choosing just one species to spotlight each month. But the often-overlooked pangolin, with its unusual appearance and urgent conservation story, makes an interesting place to start.

Covered in hard scales, these mammals curl up into a ball to help protect themselves from predators. Though they have poor eyesight, they have a highly- developed sense of smell which they use to track down food sources. The pangolin’s strong and sharp claws help the animal dig into ant nests or termite mounds, before using its long and sticky tongue to collect the insects.

Thailand is native to two species of pangolin, the Sunda pangolin, and the Chinese pangolin. Both are visually similar, but can typically be told apart by the latter’s larger ears, longer front claws, and smaller tail.

But behind this timid and solitary animal is the story of an urgent race against extinction, with the pangolin being known as the world’s most illegally-trafficked mammal.

The animals’ unique scales - made from keratin, the same protein that forms human hair and fingernails - are highly sought-after in the illegal wildlife trade, where they are sold for use in traditional Chinese and African medicine.

All eight of the world’s species of pangolin are protected by CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), which banned the commercial trade of the animal back in 2017.

But the illegal trade in pangolins still exists, and it is estimated that at least one pangolin is killed every hour in Asia. One local example within the last few years includes the police interception of a truck in Prachuap Khiri Khan that was found to be transporting 76 live pangolins. The illegal haul had an estimated combined retail value of Bt10 million.

As pangolins are mainly nocturnal and have decreasing population numbers, sightings of the animal in Thai national parks are increasingly rare.

Over the last two decades WFFT has rescued numerous pangolins and released them back into the wild.

One of these patients actually arrived just last month, when a local discovered a pangolin being sold nearby after it had been poached from the wild.

After a check-up at the wildlife hospital, the pangolin was ready to be released back into the wild. The vet team chose a huge forest in a nearby national park for the release, where the shy animal was gently placed nearby to a termite nest - perfect for a pangolin, as they are insectivores.

Though pangolin releases like this are uncommon, each one gives hope that these unique animals can have their populations protected and preserved for future generations to discover.

Wildlife Friends Foundation

Thailand (WFFT) org

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words by Paul Healey