Species name:
Temminck’s pangolin (Smutsia temminckii), also known as the ground, Cape, or steppe pangolin. Sometimes listed as Manis temminckii.
IUCN Red List status:
Description:
The Temminck’s pangolin can grow to about 3 feet long — plus another foot or two for their tail. They’re well-adapted to eat ants and termites and can eat as many as 70 million a year. They have large digging claws, a cone-shaped head, and a long, sticky tongue. Their color can differ depending on their range; some are slate gray to dark brown, while others are yellow-brown.
Where they’re found:
Temminck’s pangolin is the only pangolin species found in southern Africa, and they inhabit the dry and arid savanna environments. They can be found in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Angola, and Botswana.
Why they’re at risk:
Many countries in southern Africa have become key players in the illegal pangolin trade. These pangolins are being trafficked for their meat and scales, which are used in traditional medicine and considered a delicacy in some cultures, particularly in Asia. The poaching and illegal trade of pangolin products pose a significant threat to the survival of the species. Despite harsh laws and severe penalties in countries like Zimbabwe, poaching remains one of the biggest threats to the survival of pangolins. At the same time, massive deforestation, urban and agricultural expansions, and climate change have led to pangolin habitat loss.
Who’s trying to save them:
At the community level in Zimbabwe, traditional leaders are taking leading roles in protecting pangolins. Since olden times pangolins were considered mystical; they are believed to bring good life, good rains, and good harvests to communities. And killing a pangolin is still considered taboo in many Zimbabwean cultures; anyone who kills one faces the wrath of the spirits, according to traditional leaders.
But on a national level, pangolins are a specially protected species in Zimbabwe under the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Act. And Zimbabwe has a National Pangolin Conservation Strategy and Action Plan (2023-2027) aimed at protecting pangolins from poaching, illegal trade, and habitat loss. At the same time, nongovernmental organizations like the Tikki Hywood Foundation also help to rehabilitate and monitor pangolin populations.
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My favorite experience:
As a journalist, I have worked extensively with traditional leaders in Zimbabwe to share their long-established wildlife conservation methods, which have been passed down for generations.
These traditional conservation methods are mostly centered on myths, legends, and beliefs, but have been relatively successful in saving the Temminck’s pangolins in the country.
While working on a story, I hypothetically asked one traditional leader, “What happens if I try to poach a pangolin from this area?”
Without even flinching, the traditional leader warned me confidently: “You will be caught; pangolins protect themselves; they’re mystical; they can’t be stolen or killed. If we kill these pangolins, our ancestors will be very angry with us, and rains will not come, and we will all die.”
This is what many people in this community think about pangolins. Pangolins are revered, and it is only outsiders who can come and poach pangolins from this area, the traditional leader added.
And I have realized that wildlife conservation programs work effectively if they involve local communities. At times stiffer penalties are not enough to protect endangered wildlife species, but there’s a need to tap into generational or Indigenous knowledge on wildlife conservation. In Zimbabwe, for example, in ancient times, it was only chiefs or kings who were allowed to eat pangolin meat. The pangolin population has been low for generations, and the ancestors knew that the only way to protect the pangolin from total extinction was to restrict the number of people allowed to eat them.
What you can do to help:
I will continue to give a voice to traditional leaders and their communities who are helping to save Zimbabwe’s last pangolins. Voices of these communities should be amplified, and some of these initiatives to protect pangolins can be replicated in other countries or communities in Africa.
Share your stories: Do you live in or near a threatened habitat or community, or have you worked to study or protect endangered wildlife? You’re invited to share your stories in our ongoing features, Protect This Place and Save This Species.
Previously in The Revelator:
Save This Species: Sumatran Orangutans
