Survival and distribution of Temminck's pangolin (Smutsia temminckii) retrieved from the illegal wildlife trade in South Africa

Abstract

Pangolins are medium-sized mammals, characterised by keratinous scales covering their entire body. There are currently eight species of pangolins left in the world with four occurring in Africa and four in Asia. All species of pangolin are currently considered vulnerable to extinction, with their numbers rapidly declining due to the excessive demand for pangolin scales from the illegal trade. This trade is often highly organised and lucrative, making it extremely problematic to counteract. These factors contribute to pangolins now being regarded as the most illegally trafficked mammals on Earth. Within the trade, pangolins are often kept in dire conditions and in cases where they have been recovered, they rarely survive the ordeal. For those that do survive, many assumptions are made when releasing them back into the wild, with only a few cases where actual monitoring has taken place post-release. This study aims to investigate: the demographics of Temmick’s pangolin which has been confiscated from the illicit trade in South Africa, the condition of the animals retrieved, survival between release strategies, and their distribution following release subsequent to veterinary treatment. Study animals were fitted with appropriate tracking equipment and monitored post-release to monitor movement and survival. Living pangolins confiscated in South Africa increased from 8 in 2016 to, 40 in 2018, but declined to 25 in 2019, with confiscations peaking during the cold and dryer seasons of winter and spring. Of the pangolins that were successfully confiscated, 63.24% were adult, 14.71% were sub-adult and 22.06% were juveniles. 68% of these pangolins were found in a compromised state. The soft-release approach has become the preferred method of release in South Africa, and current evidence suggest that it has a positive effect on pangolin survival, but more research is still required. Trade related stress was the main root of mortalities and a great cause for concern. Sex of animal played no significant role in susceptibility to poaching, or in survival. Post release monitoring revealed that released pangolins can travel vast distances, and this needs to be taken into consideration when selecting release sites and tracking equipment. Facilitated release procedures have proven to be effective in improving survival probability, but improvements can still be made in all aspects of recovery, treatment and release protocols.