This World Pangolin Day, let’s shine a spotlight on one of Africa’s most elusive and endangered species – the pangolin. With an estimated one pangolin poached every five minutes, urgent action is needed to protect these unique mammals.
The four African pangolin species have been pushed to the brink of extinction due to the relentless demand for its meat and scales in the illegal wildlife trade. With an estimated one pangolin poached every five minutes, urgent action is needed to save these unique mammals from disappearing forever.
“Pangolins play an important role in Earth’s ecosystems and in Africa’s heritage. Efforts to protect these creatures safeguards the future of the continent and strengthens global biodiversity,” says Toby Jermyn, founder of Pangolin.Africa, a registered non-profit organisation based in South Africa.
Through its three-pronged approach of publicity, participation, and protection, Pangolin.Africa provides an opportunity for African safari guides, staff and guests to take the lead in protecting Africa’s pangolins.
Pangolins are one of more than 25,000 species worldwide that are currently on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of threatened species. While this statistic highlights the enormous challenge of conservation, it also spotlights the important role public awareness. Pangolins are not as well-known as endangered rhinos or elephants, but their plight is just as dire – if not more so!
Increasing public awareness about the pangolin, its varying types, and the valuable role it plays in Earth’s ecosystems is vital to conservation. Building on that is Pangolin.Africa’s flagship Pangolin Guardians programme.
Pangolin Guardians uses education, citizen science, and on-the-ground projects, to foster a sense of ownership and responsibility among those living in regions where pangolins are naturally found.
One of the key components of the programme is its educational outreach, which is delivered in a free, two-part online course. By equipping individuals with facts about pangolins and practical guidance on how to respond when encountering one in the wild, the Pangolin Guardians programme deepens public appreciation for these unique mammals and empowers communities to become active participants in their conservation.
Are pangolins related to armadillos? What are scales made of? Why are pangolins endangered?
The first part of the Pangolin Guardians course dispels some pangolin myths and fills the more common gaps in people’s pangolin knowledge. This portion is used in the educational programs that Pangolin. Africa runs in regions where pangolins might be found in the wild.
The second part of the course is more pertinent to the safari industry and was born out of the need for recommended protocols that guides, trackers and clients can adopt to make sure that, if they are lucky enough to encounter a pangolin, they know what they should or shouldn’t do at a sighting.
For example, we have all seen images of people with pangolins that are curled up or lying flat on the ground. While these are a sure way to garner ‘likes’ on social media – what is the cost?
A pangolin that is curled up or lying flat on the ground is a stressed animal. It is using excess energy to protect itself, energy that it should be using to forage for food – pangolins have very slow metabolisms! Beyond the initial stress caused to the pangolin, this can also have a deep physiological impact. Stress can literally make a pangolin sick and, in extreme circumstances, can be fatal.
The Pangolin Guardians programme explains how you can recognise signs of stress in a pangolin and offers some sensible viewing guidelines that will hopefully be adopted by the safari industry.
The Pangolin Guardians programme is an opportunity for safari companies to put into practice their conservation commitments. Already, companies like Wilderness, Singita, and Ker and Downey Botswana have rolled out the course to their guides and staff.
“This programme is all about increasing awareness and support through education, and well aligned to our conservation commitment, ensuring we play our part in safeguarding Africa’s unique biodiversity and iconic wilderness areas to ensure people and wildlife can co-exist and thrive, both now and in the future,” says Inge Kotze, Head of Conservation at Singita.
Not only have these leading safari operators joined the global Pangolin Guardians community of conservation champions, but they have also enhanced their guest experiences.
“By educating their guides on the proper guidelines for managing a pangolin sighting, and not causing undue stress to the animal, they are increasing the likelihood of seeing that pangolin again as these are territorial creatures who will only leave an area if they feel unsafe,” says Pangolin.Africa’s Jermyn.
Guides and trackers can use their mobile devices and camp Wi-Fi connection to access the programme’s web-based learning platform. The course takes just 15-minutes to complete and is available with subtitles in multiple African languages including Shona, Setswana, Afrikaans, and Nedebele. There is even a Chinese option.
A certificate of completion is presented to everyone who completes the course as a record of their commitment to pangolin conservation.
The benefits go beyond guides to guests as well. Safari companies can offer the Pangolin Guardian programme to guests who will enjoy increasing their awareness of the region they are visiting, and ensures they are aware of how to make pangolin sightings enjoyable – and safe experiences.
Pangolins lead shy and nocturnal lives, making sightings of those that remain rare and spectacular. This also means that very little data is available on pangolin population numbers and distribution, making it difficult to coordinate conservation efforts to save them.
Pangolin.Africa has made it possible for safari companies to fill that gap by connecting guides and guests to Pangolert, is the first and only place to record pangolin sightings safely and securely using WhatsApp. Users can report a pangolin sighting by simply sending a photo of the animal along with its location as a message to the Pangolert number: +27 (0)72 726 4654. The information is received and stored offline for security purposes, and only accessible to those who go through a strict vetting process by Pangolin.Africa.
Thanks to WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption features, the message can’t be accessed by anyone else. This, in addition to the fact that WhatsApp is used by over 200 million Africans, makes it the perfect platform for the service.
“Nobody knows how many pangolins are left in the wild or where they are located,” says Jermyn. “We’ve created a way to gather that sensitive information without the risk of it getting into the wrong hands.”
Pangolert also serves as an emergency hotline for anonymously reporting pangolins in peril, whether they are stuck in a snare, being abused, or in the process of being trafficked. In this case, users can call the Pangolert number directly where a team is on standby to react accordingly through a network of vets, NGOS and law enforcement officials across central and southern Africa.
“In this way, Pangolert is a quick and easy way to centralise reports of pangolins in peril so that we can better support law enforcement efforts,” explains Jermyn.
Being a responsible traveller means making conscious choices that support conservation, from choosing ethical safari operators to following best practices for wildlife encounters—like respecting a pangolin’s space and avoiding stress-inducing interactions.
Interest in sustainable travel has massively over the last few years. Alongside this growing tourism trend are communities grappling with the devastating consequences of wildlife and biodiversity loss. This presents an opportunity for safari companies to serve as conservation leaders, and adopting programmes that demonstrate the power of collective action and community engagement in safeguarding our planet’s precious wildlife.
Whether that means enhancing knowledge among guides and guests with the Pangolin Guardians programme, or endorsing Pangolert and reporting pangolin sightings, every effort made could save an animal’s life.
“Conservation cannot be successful if we are all working alone. By pooling our collective resources and reach, we can team up and save a species,” says Jermyn.
If you would like your company/organisation/guides/clients to join the Pangolin Guardians programme, please reach out to Pangolin.Africa at info@pangolin.africa.
