A tiny pangolin named Kuru is clinging to life in South Africa, and he desperately needs your help.
When rescuers intercepted poachers during an undercover sting operation, they found Kuru and two other shy, gentle pangolins trussed up and ready for sale. They were shocked by the suffering inflicted on these extremely endangered animals. What they had endured was almost unbearable to witness.
Their legs had been bound so tightly with rope that they could not move. The restraints had cut deep into their flesh, leaving horrific wounds and painful abscesses hidden beneath their scales.
Kuru was bound so tightly by poachers that the rope cut deep into his flesh, leaving horrific wounds hidden beneath the scales. Source: Umoya Khulula Wildlife Centre
Their terrified little bodies were filthy and covered in human waste, because poached pangolins are often hidden in sewers to avoid detection.
One female had suffered so horrifically that the veterinary team had no choice but to end her pain.
Another, a pregnant mother, was already under such extreme stress that keeping her in rehabilitation could have killed both her and her unborn baby. In a heartbreaking decision, rescuers released her early, hoping to give them their only chance at survival.
Now only Kuru remains.
Kuru is weak, traumatized and fighting for breath. He needs your urgent help.
Kuru is now in the care of our trusted partner sanctuary, Umoya Khulula Wildlife Centre, at a secure, undisclosed location.
But he is in a dire condition.
He is battling a dangerously low red-blood-cell count, hypoglycemia (dangerously low blood sugar), severe trauma and devastating injuries to his front leg. He is in an extremely fragile state, frightened and exhausted.
Yet despite everything humans have done to him, this tiny creature is still fighting to stay alive.
Kuru is in critical condition — battling severe trauma and exhaustion. This tiny survivor needs around-the-clock care in his fight to stay alive. Source: Umoya Khulula Wildlife Centre
Rescued pangolins cannot survive without specialized, long-term rehabilitation.
Kuru needs around-the-clock intensive care.
He requires:
- constant monitoring
- specialized milk formula
- wound treatment and medication
- heating support through the bitter South African winter, now present in full force
Please donate now and help save Kuru’s life.
Your donation today will help provide the life-saving treatment Kuru urgently needs over the coming months.
Every $1,800 (£1,350) raised covers a month of his rehabilitation costs.
Kuru will need at least six months of intensive treatment, including tube feeding, medication, wound care, rehabilitation therapy and expert support to help him heal from the unimaginable cruelty he has suffered.
If Kuru recovers, he will one day be released into a vast, protected habitat where he can finally live safely and freely.
All eight known species on the verge of extinction.
Pangolins are the most trafficked mammals on Earth.
These gentle, defenceless animals are being driven to extinction by the illegal wildlife trade. That is why every single rescued life matters.
The poachers who tortured Kuru have been arrested. Now, we must give this tiny survivor the chance to live.
