When Pingu the pangolin was confiscated from criminal traffickers in Cape Town, the authorities were baffled because they did not know what kind of animal they had. When they called for help, based on the description they provided, rescuers believed it was a penguin in distress and rushed to the scene with equipment designed to rescue a seabird.
When they arrived, they found something very different — a tiny, frightened pangolin curled into a ball.
A rescue nobody expected.
Meet Pingu, who was thought to be a penguin, but turned out to be a pangolin. Source: ASI/David Barritt
Pangolins are the most trafficked mammals on Earth. Millions are killed for their scales, which are falsely believed to have medicinal value in parts of Asia.
Africa is now the center of the trade and unscrupulous criminals are ripping pangolins from the wild at a horrifying speed. Our partner, Umoya Khulula Wildlife Centre in South Africa, takes pangolins rescued from the wickedly cruel illegal trade and rehabilitates them before returning them safely to the wild.
Pangolins are shy, gentle and pitifully defenceless. Pangolins don’t have vocal cords, so they can’t even cry for help. They are easy victims for poachers, with a terrible fate in store when caught, often descaled while they are alive and then dropped into boiling water and cooked for food in restaurants.
Pangolins are gentle, quiet and completely defenceless, with no voice to call for help. They are also the most trafficked mammals on Earth, taken from the wild at an alarming rate.
The little survivor, now called Pingu — named after a cartoon penguin — had been moments away from being trafficked for her scales.
She was quickly flown to our partner sanctuary, where she is slowly recovering. But caring for a pangolin is incredibly costly and demanding.
Why does Pingu needs a bodyguard day and night?
Pangolins are nocturnal, sensitive and easy to catch. Pingu must be protected 24 hours a day. When she wakes, she goes on long walks to feed on ants — always accompanied by her dedicated bodyguard, Thomas Mosiamadi. Wherever Pingu goes, Thomas follows to make sure she is safe.
Rehabilitating a pangolin like Pingu can take many months. She requires constant monitoring, special nutritional formula and round-the-clock care. At night, Thomas sleeps in the same room to supervise her care.
Without intense care, Pingu would not survive.
Meet Thomas, Pingu’s dedicated bodyguard. Wherever she goes, he follows, on her walks to feed on ants and through every month of her rehabilitation. Source: ASI/David Barritt
Pangolins are so endangered that every life saved is a major victory. Please help us protect and care for Pingu and the other rescued pangolins. Your donation today will help provide the specialized care, food and protection Pingu and others like her desperately need until they can return safely to the wild.
