Rehabilitate & Monitor Rescued Pangolins

***All pangolins are housed and treated off-site at undisclosed secure locations for their safety and the safety of our team***

Artie joined the Scales Pangolin Rescue Fund rehabilitation program after being confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade in a sting operation in Mpumalanga in August 2021. It was believed he had been held in captivity for at least 8 or 9 days before he was confiscated. Captive pangolins are generally held in cramped conditions without access to drinking water or food and this was no exception for poor little Artie.

He was found emaciated and severely dehydrated, so he was rushed to intensive care. When he was admitted they also found him to be suffering from pneumonia! It was touch and go as Artie spent a week in intensive care, but our amazing veterinary team at Provet Wildlife Services were able to pull him through and get him stable enough to begin his rehabilitation journey.

Artie was a shy little male, that not surprisingly, took a long time to start trusting humans and feeding by himself on his daily walks. He still had to visit the vets once a week for a little boost via a tube feeding, to ensure he kept up his strength as he adjusted to life at the centre. This is not something the rehab team likes to do if they can help it as it is a rather intrusive process, but in Artie's case it was absolutely necessary to ensure he stay healthy.

He grew from strength to strength over the months. He no longer had to be tube feed as he perfected his skills at finding his favourite ants and landing on some big nests too! This is every pangolin rehabber's dream, as it enables him to eat his fill whilst using as little energy as possible because he doesn't have to travel too far to do it.

Artie became the "poster child' for our on-going campaign for funding towards our pangolin rehabilitation program. Starting out as a shy little male you would barely recognise the pangolin he has become today! It is fair to say anyone that has worked with Artie has completely fallen head over heels in love with him. He is such a little character, and the team has learnt so much from watching him grow. After ten months at the centre, he began his "soft release" phase, where he could establish his own territory in a wild area but still be monitored very closely as he adjusts to his new surroundings. He was settling in so well. Established his territory and home range, finding burrows, continuing to grow from strength to strength and being a proper wild pangolin. Still being closely monitored the team found him one day with severe wounds on his back legs and so he was rushed to the closet veterinary hospital for emergency treatment until he was stable enough to be moved back to the centre. We believe he was attacked by a leopard whilst he was feeding or making his way into a burrow, luckily, he knew what to do and defend himself with his tail and roll into a ball to protect his soft under belly which saved his life. He has been recovering from his ordeal extremely well and hopefully it won’t be long before he his back out in the wild once again.

With a large bulk of the money raised via this Campaign, we have been able to provide four new VHF telemetry units, refurbish two old telemetry units as well as a satellite unit so that they may used again and provided six months satellite coverage. We have also purchased 15 Rogz lights that are used on the pangolins so we can spot them in the dark whilst out feeding in the bush, five sets of hand held weighing scales to monitor their weights whilst out in the field and a brand new TR-8 telemetry receiver and antenna kit. All of this equipment is used during the monitoring and release process of all pangolins that enter our care. Devices are placed on pangolins so that they can be tracked and monitored in the bush. It is vital this is done to make sure they are adapting to their new surroundings and thriving! 

Our little Lily is doing so well! Despite everything that has been against her, and the many ups and downs she has gone through throughout her rehab, she is now moving from strength to strength and we are so happy to see her finally gaining weight and keeping it on.

Wilma has been doing incredibly well since she started her release process in November. Not only has she gained over 2.5kg, she has established her home range and also had a few visits from a male named Riaan who was also released in the area after completing his rehabilitation at another rehab facility. This is fantastic news, and the ultimate prize, knowing that two rescued and released pangolins are back where they belong and, fingers crossed, contributing to the survival of their species. 

Maverick arrived at the centre in the beginning of March after being caught in an electric fence where he had suffered a number of severe shocks. As the location he was found in was far from trained professionals, he was airlifted to the centre by Hope for Wildlife Helicopter Services and was able to receive treatment within only a few hours of being found. Whilst he had suffered electrical burns to his throat, front feet, and the base of his tail he was otherwise in very good health. He remained at the centre for just over 2 weeks whilst his burns healed and has since been released. We continue to monitor him to ensure that he is thriving in his new area, but so far he has been a model pangolin, loving life and gaining over a kilogram in weight since his release 6 weeks ago.

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