Scaling up Pangolin Conservation in India

इस पृष्ठ को हिंदी में पढ़ें

“Scaling up Pangolin Conservation in India“ was originally published in the December 2022 issue of Sanctuary Asia magazine.

She is there. Right there, inside a neatly dug-out borrow under those shapely boulders deep inside the Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh. Previously acquired camera trap footage confirms that she has a pup along with her. The strong beeps we hear on the radio telemetry receiver and Hira’s (one of WCT’s trained conservation dogs) fine, attuned sense of smell tell us that she is there. But, elusive, cautious, nocturnal and shy that she is, only a miracle can make her emerge and materialise before our eyes in the flesh.

Indian pangolins are endangered and targeted for their scales and meat. Photo credit: Aditya Joshi

Very few people have seen pangolins in the wild. Many haven’t even heard of them. If they have, it is in the context of the illegal wildlife trade. Pangolins are among the most heavily trafficked mammals in the world. Ironically, it is their armour of scales, a highly successful evolutionary adaptation meant to protect them from predators and other natural elements in the wild, that has proven to be a bane in a world where modern humans are the super predators. Also called the scaly anteater, a pangolin is a unique mammal in that it is the only one endowed with an armour of metabolically inactive scales whose chemical composition is very similar to that of human nails. And yet, misplaced beliefs, disinformation, and scientifically unproven claims have placed astronomical value on pangolin scales in the black market, especially for use in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

“The scale of the impact of poaching on such species with no population estimates is revealed by the number of cases where a large consignment of pangolin scales weighing up to a couple of tonnes are confiscated in anti-poaching raids. Typically, in the case of crime against wildlife, the rate of detection is very low. Most illegal consignments elude the attention of enforcement agencies. Given that only a fraction of the raids are successful and that several consignments go undetected, the magnitude of poaching is much larger than what meets the eye,” explains Aditya Joshi, conservation biologist with the Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT) who heads WCT’s Conservation Research division. One of the projects he is presently leading is focused on developing an ecology-based conservation strategy for the Indian pangolin in Madhya Pradesh, a first-of-its-kind project designed around this species.

Also called the scaly anteater, the pangolin is unique in that it is the only mammal endowed with scaly armour. Photo credit: Aditya Joshi

Of the eight pangolin species found in Asia and Africa, only the Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) and the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) are found in India. In terms of body size, the Indian pangolin is the largest Asian pangolin species and the third largest of all pangolin species. It has been accorded highest level of protection under India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the same kind bestowed on the Bengal tiger, Indian rhino and Asian elephant. The Indian Pangolin is listed as an Endangered species on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List, and its population is speculated to be on a decline. But there is simply too big a knowledge gap to get a clear picture on how the Indian pangolin population is truly faring in India. Presently, our understanding of their ecology and population dynamics is obscured to say the least.

A Concerted Scientific Effort to Conserve the Indian Pangolin

Being an elusive, nocturnal species occurring at low densities, there is very little information available on the behaviour and ecology of the Indian pangolin. Thus, it is vital to know the ecology of the species to develop an effective conservation plan for it.

“Despite protective measures, pangolins in India are widely exploited and traded both domestically and internationally. There has been a rise in the trade of live Indian pangolins as even locals who find a pangolin in the wild look for buyers in the anticipation of high monetary returns. This has led to confiscation/seizures of several Indian pangolins which are kept in poor conditions and starved for a long period of time due to extremely limited or faulty understanding of their ecology. This makes the task of successful rehabilitation of these pangolins a major conservation challenge,” Joshi explains.

WCT research team monitoring a released pangolin in the field. Photo credit: WCT

In collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department (MPFD) and with the support of BNP Paribas India Foundation, WCT embarked on a unique conservation project in 2019. The challenge of pioneering a scientific research project, especially for a data-deficient species like the Indian pangolin, is the lack of a precedent methodology to draw from.

Joshi further adds, “However, with limited resources available for conservation projects, it is critical to focus on key aspects of conservation issues of a particular species and build on them to have a greater impact on species conservation. The objective of our project is to understand the ecology of the Indian pangolin and develop an effective rehabilitation plan for rescued individuals.”

We wade through the thick bamboo thickets. All the rain-inflicted wetness has taken the edge off the crunching of dry leaves underfoot. One of the major challenges of on-field monitoring is tracking these animals in the monsoon season. Heavy rainfall transforms the landscape into extremely dense and slippery environment making it harder to follow these animals. The disturbance caused by rainfall and storms makes it harder to monitor the radio signals and reduces the range at which the signals can be received in the field.

After much climbing up and down the undulating terrain, we are still to get a strong radio signal. One of the radio-tagged pangolins is on the move with her pup. We pass by a few of her now abandoned burrows. After several more minutes of tracking, the radio signal on our receiver gets louder as we warm up to her new location.

Hira (left), one of WCT’s four conservation dogs, helps the team track a radio-tagged pangolin. Photo credit: Purva Variyar/WCT

Joshi lets Hira take the lead in zeroing down on the pangolin’s precise location. He gives a specific command that tells Hira to focus on the pangolin scent. With her canine nose pinned to the ground, Hira finally stops at the mouth of a neatly carved-out burrow and sits on her hindquarters indicating that she has found the source of the scent. We converge at the spot along a slope underneath a pile of large boulders, and the frantic beeps on our radio receiver further verify Hira’s claim. A classic pangolin hideout. While Joshi rewards Hira for a job well done, Rajesh Bhendarkar, a researcher on the team, notes down the GPS locations while two other field assistants promptly begin setting up camera traps to monitor the burrow.

Radio Tagging Pangolins

WCT and the MPFD in the Pench and Satpura Tiger Reserves are monitoring several pangolins in the wild. The radio-tagged pangolins are offering deep ecological insights into their lives. “Using the spatial, ecological, and behavioural data of the species from the tagged individuals, we want to identify key factors essential for pangolin survival. This will help in the selection of ideal sites for the release of confiscated or rescued pangolins and increase the success rate of rehabilitation,” explains Joshi.

In the project’s first year, the team successfully rehabilitated two Indian pangolins that had been confiscated from poachers. This classified as the first-ever case of using radio telemetry to monitor released individuals of this species in the wild.

MPFD and WCT staff releasing a tagged pangolin. Photo credit: WCT & MP Forest Department

Rescued or confiscated pangolins are first examined by wildlife veterinarians of the forest department and WCT before being fitted with a radio transmitter and GPS tracker which are non-surgically affixed on two separate hard and inert scales in a way that does not hinder movement or cause discomfort to the animal or its baby. The tagged pangolins are then released at pre-identified sites based on habitat characteristics where the chances of them settling down are the greatest.

“We also tagged a wild pangolin female with a young one. This particular breeding female will provide valuable insights into the key factors essential for successfully raising young ones and thus, help to identify sites suitable for pangolin breeding,” Joshi informs.

A camera trap image of one of the radio-tagged pangolins carrying her young one or a pangopup. Credit: WCT & MPFD

Enlisting Conservation Dogs To Survey Pangolin Burrows

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to field research. Sometimes conventional survey methods don’t work owing to a multitude of fluctuating variables. The undulating terrain of Pench and Satpura Tiger Reserves makes it difficult to detect burrows using conventional methods.

“We have trained two conservation dogs in pangolin detection to help locate pangolin burrows and pangolin scat. The dogs indicate the burrows and based on the activity level we set up camera traps to monitor those burrows,” Joshi says.

Apart from detecting burrows, the dogs are also trained to indicate pangolin scat (faeces). Analysing scat samples will help determine the pangolin diet.

Map showing a survey track using detection dogs. The GPS collars fitted on the dogs help track the path, distance, and effort of every survey. Photo credit: WCT

Aditya Joshi with conservation dog Hira who is indicating a pangolin burrow. Photo credit: Prasad Gaidhani

Building Capacity and Awareness Among the Forest Staff for Improved Rehabilitation and Protection of Pangolins

“Pangolins would come to us in a bad shape, sometimes too far gone. As most people are unaware of the pangolin’s eating and living habits, the health of rescued or confiscated pangolins deteriorates rapidly in captivity, many succumbing to starvation, trauma, and stress,” says Dr. Prashant Deshmukh, Wildlife Veterinarian at WCT.

A significant component of the project has involved educating and training the forest staff in basic pangolin ecology and care to ensure that in the future the pangolins they rescue or confiscate have greater chance of surviving thus, improving the success of rehabilitating them in the wild.

A pangolin shifted to the release site in a specially designed wooden transportation box. Photo credit: WCT

“Such efforts are much needed for the protection of this vulnerable and lesser-known species. The rise in market demand and poaching incidents are undeniably impacting the Indian pangolin population. Long-term research will help us gather good data and increase our knowledge of the species, which is a prerequisite for its conservation,” says Ashok Mishra, former Field Director, Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh.

“One of the learnings from the last year’s pangolin rehabilitation work was about the role of transportation in the effective rehabilitation of rescued pangolins. In most cases, the local forest staff do not have any means of safe housing and transporting seized and rescued pangolins. As a makeshift arrangement, they are generally housed in wire-mesh cages meant to capture civets. This results in excessive stress and injuries to the pangolin,” says Joshi.

To deal with this, Joshi and his team have designed transportation boxes keeping in mind the pangolin’s behaviour and needs. These boxes will help to alleviate undue stress befalling any pangolin being moved. WCT has donated these transportation boxes to the Forest Department and they are presently being used by the forest staff to securely transport rescued/confiscated pangolins.

WCT is currently working on a prototype for the safe housing of pangolins where individuals have to be kept in captivity for treatment or examination.

“Looking at the frequency with which live pangolins are being confiscated from illegal wildlife traffickers, there is an urgent need to design a safe holding area that mimics their natural habitat and ensures provisioning of food that constitutes specific species of ants. We are currently discussing the same with experts from countries that have managed to create such spaces and hope to construct something similar in collaboration with MPFD soon. When fully functional, this facility will be able to help traumatised and starved pangolins to regain strength before releasing them into the wild. Consequently, we will be able to reduce the mortality of confiscated or rescued pangolins by a magnitude,” explains Dr. Anish Andheria, President, WCT.

If we are to conserve these unique animals, we need to get to know them. At this critical juncture, we are only beginning to unravel the complex lives of the pangolins.

About the author: Purva Variyar is a conservationist, science communicator and conservation writer. She works with the Wildlife Conservation Trust and has previously worked with Sanctuary Nature Foundation and The Gerry Martin Project.

Disclaimer: The author is associated with Wildlife Conservation Trust. The views and opinions expressed in the article are her own and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Wildlife Conservation Trust.

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