Pangolins walk out of wild

Kalimpong, July 7: Frequent sightings of the endangered pangolin in and around Kalimpong have got wildlife enthusiasts elated and worried at the same time.

The animal lovers are happy because more sightings could mean that the population of the scaly ant-eating mammal is increasing but they are also concerned because it could also indicate that the animals are losing their homes and entering human habitation in search of food and shelter.

In the past one month, three Chinese pangolins (Manis pentadactyla) were caught by the people of Tirpai and the villages of Bongbusty, 3km from here, and Upper Ecchey, about 10km from Kalimpong.

The three animals were handed over to the forest department.

Chinese Pangolins are covered with protective scales. An adult pangolin has 15 to 18 rows of overlapping scales along with hair, a rare combination among mammals. Each pangolin weighs around 2.4kg.

According to wildlife experts, the other species found in the country is the Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata).

“Chinese pangolins are found in the hills at an altitude of about 3,000 feet and the Indian species are found in the lower areas. Pangolins are frequently sighted in Pokhriabong Valley (in Darjeeling subdivision),” said Gopal Chhetri, the divisional forest officer, wildlife I.

Wildlife watchers said no census has been carried out on the mammals in the country so far.

Pangolins are included in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972, and has been categorised as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Both Indian and Chinese pangolins feature in the Red List of the IUCN as an endangered species with a declining population.

Samuel Thomas, the programme co-ordinator of Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (Atree), a wildlife NGO, said the sightings were encouraging because pangolins are secretive, solitary and mostly nocturnal.

“More sightings could indicate the possibility that the numbers of the endangered species may be increasing which is a good thing,” he said.

Thomas, however, added that it could be a cause for concern if the sighting is because of disturbances in the patches that they inhabit or a result of food source decline or it might be the result of greater public awareness in the recent years because of which people are not causing any harm to the mammals. “We need more basic research into the status and distribution of the species before we come to any conclusion,” Thomas said.

-The Telegraph