Protecting Pangolins

Due to the increase of illegal trafficking and poaching of Pangolins, urgent action has been needed to save what has alarmingly become the world's most trafficked mammal!

Very little is known about the pangolin species in Uganda, their geographical distribution, ecology or behaviours. What is known is that Uganda enforcement groups have reported a sharp spike in the numbers of arrests of ‘small-time’ poachers, coupled with significant larger seizures of pangolin scales in the last few years. 

Therefore there is an urgent need to increase the knowledge and understanding of the pangolin population in Uganda, as well as the threats to these vulnerable animals. 

With this project only launching in March 2017, your support will help us achieve our aims of the following goals: 

• Development of a national policy statement to support the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s (UWA) enforcement work and response to the new CITES legislation
• Identification of Safe Release Zones (SRZ) for pangolins in Uganda
• Training of enforcement officers in pangolin Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and provision of rescue kits to relevant organisations

Pangolins are in the brink of extinction and the combination of high demand on the black market, their small size and the little knowledge we have of them makes fighting for their survival all the more urgent.

Thank You for supporting this valuable part of our conservation work that is aimed at providing understanding and long-term protection for this unique and elusive scaly mammal.

We are also raising awareness for the pangolin by trying to petition for a pangolin emoji! We would love it if you could join us on building momentum for this, because we feel pangolins certainly deserve their own emoji! Please see the link below to sign the petition and help raise awareness for Pangolins. Thank You!

Links:

• David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
• The world needs a Pangolin Emoji!