In South Africa, plans for a refuge for pangolins in peril
Christopher Torchia, Associated Press
Updated 5:13 am, Saturday, June 16, 2018
In this photo taken on Friday March 16, 2018 a pangolin from the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital is held by a carer before being taken to the field to forage for food, near Johannesburg. Africa’s pangolins are under increasing threat from traffickers who sell the meat as well as the scales of the anteater for use in traditional Chinese medicine. In South Africa, plans are underway to build a rehabilitation center for sick or rescued pangolins as well as deploy sniffer dogs specially trained to detect the scales’ pungent aroma.
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Monitored by a conservationist, a young pangolin slurped ants with a long tongue near a veterinary hospital that became a temporary home after the animal was found near the body of its mother, killed by a jolt from an electric fence. The six-month-old scaly anteater foraged on a hillside, building up strength in a tiny step for a campaign to save one of the world's most heavily trafficked mammals.
Traffickers often sell the pangolin meat locally and ship the scales for use in traditional medicine in Asia, mainly China. The growing illegal industry has prompted plans in South Africa for a rehabilitation center for sick or rescued pangolins as well as the deployment of sniffer dogs specially trained to detect the scales' pungent aroma.
Africa's four species of pangolins are under increasing pressure from poachers because Asia's four species have been decimated, according to experts. While commercial trade in all eight species is forbidden, international confiscations of African pangolin scales amounted to about 47 tons in 2017, more than double the quantity seized in the previous year, said the African Pangolin Working Group , a conservation organization based in South Africa.
"The rate of escalation is astounding," said Eric Ichikowitz, director of a South African foundation.
More:
https://www.chron.com/news/science/article/In-South-Africa-plans-for-a-refuge-for-pangolins-12999661.php
