Temminck’s
pangolins have been “ecologically extinct” in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal
province Africa for the past 30 or 40 years, but a new program managed by the
African Pangolin Working Group is reintroducing the scaly anteaters back into
this region.
Pangolins
rescued from the illegal wildlife trade tend to be physically ill and mentally
stressed, and need to go through a lengthy rehabilitation process before they
can be released.
Instead
of simply releasing pangolins back into the wild, the African Pangolin Working
Group puts the animals through a “soft release” program, and continues to
closely monitor them through GPS satellite and VHF radio tracking tags.
In 2019,
seven pangolins were released at Phinda Private Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal;
two died of natural causes, but the remaining five are doing well.
Pangolins
have been locally extinct in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province for the last
30 or 40 years, experts say. But now, local conservationists are working to
slowly reintroduce these shy, sensitive animals in a world-first effort to
reinstate wild populations.
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