Protecting pangolins in Southern Africa

I'm delighted to share latest news about the work you are helping to support - protecting critically endangered pangolins in southern Africa.

This period marks the peak season for pangolin trafficking, making the work of our local project partner, PCRF, even more urgent than ever. Against this challenging backdrop, the team has continued to deliver exceptional impact.

Kelsey Prediger, PCRF's Founder was recently nominated for the 2025 Worldwide Vets Golden Award. It is an acknowledgement of her extraordinary dedication, contributing to the rescue and release of 41 pangolins over the last four years.

The local team in Namibia continues to face serious operational hurdles. Illegal hunting activity remains a constant threat, and field teams are still relying on a borrowed vehicle, making transport of rescued pangolins and rapid-response interventions difficult. The need for a  permanent, reliable vehicle to support this frontline work is now vital.

Despite these challenges, the team has delivered powerful capacity-building across the region. A major training workshop was hosted for first responders and game guards, strengthening skills in pangolin rescue, safe transport, and community engagement, particularly addressing ongoing issues such as inappropriate emergency feeding (e.g., rice or cat food). Nationwide, over 350 officers across 42 Namibian villages have now been trained, alongside the milestone achievement of training Botswana’s first pangolin ecologist. This growing network of skilled responders is transforming pangolin protection across Southern Africa.

A recent release in mid-October demonstrated why such expertise matters: a rescued pangolin began losing weight after struggling to forage, and the team had to intervene quickly to bring it back for monitoring and support.

Awareness and storytelling have also taken an important step forward. Guardians of Eden, a beautiful new documentary following rescued pangolin Matabe’s Journey, features Kelsey and lead Pangolin Guardian Oma Sao, shining a light on the realities of this work and the people who make it possible.

Finally, the project has now been formally included in the Southern African Regional Pangolin Conservation Action Plan (SARPCAP), a significant recognition of the team’s leadership and impact in pangolin conservation.

Thanks to supporters like you, this essential work continues to protect the world’s most trafficked mammal at a time when it is needed most.

How Your Support Is Saving Pangolins in Namibia

I’m delighted to share the latest update from our local project partner, PCRF in Namibia.

Earlier in the year a young pangolin named Tate arrived at the rehabilitation centre of our project partner, PCRF after being rescued from traffickers. She was thin, severely dehydrated, and had spent weeks in a small, dark box barely clinging to life.

For most rescued pangolins, this is the tragic norm. But Tate had something rare: a second chance. And that second chance existed because of people like you.

Your support enabled our local project partner and their veterinary team to give her 24-hour intensive care, rehydration fluids, nutritional rehabilitation, wound management, and safe shelter. For weeks, she was carefully monitored, her recovery tracked day by day. When she was finally strong enough, Tate was released back into the wild, with her movements tracked by a satellite tag, her safety monitored by local pangolin guardians.

Every Rescue Starts with Expert Veterinary Care

Pangolins rescued from the illegal wildlife trade don’t just need food and water. They need specialised veterinary intervention, and they need it fast.

In the last six months alone, your donations have helped fund:

• Emergency veterinary treatment for trafficked pangolins like Tate, Yalo, and Kumba
• Wound cleaning, parasite control, and anti-inflammatory medications
• Species-specific nutritional rehabilitation, including live ants and termites
• Thermal regulation shelters that simulate natural burrow conditions
• Veterinary-grade tracking implants for post-release monitoring

Your support provides the medicine, the transport, the expertise, and the time, to give these animals a real shot at life in the wild.

“Most of the pangolins we rescue are close to death. Without medical intervention in the first 48 hours, they wouldn’t survive. Donors like you are literally saving lives.”  Kelsey Prediger, PCRF

Following Pangolins After Release

Every pangolin released, including Tate, Rudo, and Motsi,  is tracked using satellite and VHF transmitters. This helps monitor their adaptation, health, and survival over time. Your support helps make this advanced monitoring possible.

In the last six months:

• 61 pangolins have been tagged and tracked across wild and rehabilitated populations
• Field data has helped identify safe habitat zones and refine release protocols
• Health alerts from the tags have allowed for emergency re-intervention where needed

“One pangolin, Rudo, wasn’t moving much after release. Thanks to the tracking data, we investigated and found she’d injured a paw. Because of that alert, we brought her back, treated her, and re-released her. She’s thriving now.”  Kelsey Prediger, Founder PCRF

Building the Future of Wildlife Medicine

PCRF’s base in Nyae Nyae is now a regional centre for pangolin conservation training. Support like yours is enabling:

• Veterinary internships for Namibian and international students
• Hands-on training in pangolin handling, diagnostics, and rehabilitation
• Expanded facilities with on-site veterinary resources and pangolin housing

This investment will help ensure the next generation of wildlife vets and conservationists are skilled and local.

Thank you for your kind support.  With ongoing veterinary and pangolin rehabilitation costs, care that is crucial to the survival of rescued pangolins, your ongoing support is vital in helping to protect the world’s most trafficked mammal.

Thank you again.

Links:

• Pelorus Foundation Website
• More information on the pangolin project