On February 15, 2025, which marks World Pangolin Day, the African Pangolin Working Group Opened the globe's first dedicated veterinary and rehab center exclusively for pangolines—aptly titled The Pangolarium.
“The Pangolarium (meaning a ‘place for pangolins’) is a purpose-built facility that aims to enhance the rescue, veterinary high care, rehabilitation, and reintroduction processes for pangolins rescued from the illegal wildlife trade on the west side of Limpopo Province,” The African Pangolin Working Group issued in a press statement .
The facility boasts state-of-the-art medical and care facilities; here, this endangered species can recuperate and get ready for reintroduction into their native environment. Additionally, it will act as a headquarters for the APWG’s continuous research and educational programs.
For years, conservationists have been raising concerns about the swift decrease in the population of pangolins—a distinctive, scaled creature that looks like a "rolling pinecone."
There are eight types of pangolins (four found in Africa and four in Asia), and regrettably, all of these species are listed on the IUCN Red List as either vulnerable or critically endangered.
Their worldwide decrease — which was already threatened because of the obliteration of their native environments — has been accelerated by excessive hunting.
This is why the APWG has maintained the precise whereabouts of the Pangolarium as an extremely confidential secret.
For many years, poachers have hunted pangolons for their meat and scales, causing these animals to become the most widely traded wild creature worldwide .
Currently, pangolins have become challenging to observe in their natural habitat due primarily to their severely reduced numbers.
For reference, when wildlife experts spotted a pangolin on a trail camera in Niokolo-Koba National Park last year, it was the first sighting. for the first time since 1999, the species was documented in Senegal again .
Beryl Makori, who leads the Pangolin Project as its project manager, has been collaborating with local farmers to promote pangolin preservation efforts.
"I believe we are safeguarding the remaining pangolins," stated Beryl Makori, who is the project manager for the Pangolin Project. told The Guardian We will commit whatever is necessary to establish a secure habitat with a sustainable population.
The preservation of endangered species has caught the attention of Academy Award-winning director Pippa Ehrlich, known for “My Octopus Teacher.”
Her forthcoming documentary titled "Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey," scheduled for release on Netflix on April 21, tracks wildlife photographer Gareth Thomas as he saves and nurses back to health a young pangolin called Kulu.
Pangolins are among the oldest and most distinctive mammals to have ever roamed our planet, Ehrlich told People Magazine .
Through millions of years of evolution, they have exchanged their claws and teeth for tough scales and an acute intuition, making them highly sensitive and naive animals; unable to run away or bite, their sole protection is rolling into a tight ball.
“When I encountered Gareth, I was instantly captivated by how he interacted with these docile yet enigmatic creatures," Ehrlich stated, "however, my primary motivation for wanting to create the documentary stems from my belief that pangolins serve as symbols of our precarious presence on Earth, alongside numerous other species that are equally at risk."
Header images courtesy of flowcomm / Wikimedia Commons ( CC BY 2.0 and Vickey Chauhan ( CC BY-SA 4.0 )
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