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Daily Maverick
15-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Maverick
First fossil pangolin tracks discovered in South Africa
No fossilised pangolin tracks had been recorded anywhere in the world until a track was found in South Africa, dated to between 90,000 and 140,000 years ago. A team of scientists who study vertebrate fossil tracks and traces on South Africa's southern Cape coast have identified the world's first fossil pangolin trackway, with the help of Indigenous Master Trackers from Namibia. Ichnologists Charles Helm, Clive Thompson and Jan De Vynck tell the story. What did you find? A fossil trackway east of Still Bay in South Africa's Western Cape province was found in 2018 by a colleague and was brought to our attention. It was found on the surface of a loose block of aeolianite rock (formed from hardened sand) that had come to rest near the high-tide mark in a private nature reserve. We studied it but our cautious approach required that we could not confidently pin down what had made the track. It remained enigmatic. How did you eventually identify it? In 2023, we were working with two Ju/'hoansi San colleagues from north-eastern Namibia, #oma Daqm and /uce Nǂamce, who have been interpreting tracks in the Kalahari all their lives. They are certified as Indigenous Master Trackers and we consider them to be among the finest trackers in the world today. We had called on their expertise to help us understand more about the fossil tracks on the Cape south coast. One example of the insights they provided was of hyena tracks, and we have published on this together. We showed them the intriguing trackway, which consisted of eight tracks and two scuff marks made, apparently, by the animal's tail. They examined the track-bearing surface at length, conversed with one another for some time, and then made their pronouncement: the trackway had been registered by a pangolin. This was an astonishing claim, as no fossilised pangolin tracks had previously been recorded anywhere in the world. It also confirms that pangolins were once distributed across a larger range than they are now. We then created three-dimensional digital models of the trackway, using a technique called photogrammetry. We shared these images with other tracking and pangolin experts in southern Africa (like CyberTracker, Tracker Academy, the African Pangolin Working Group, wildlife guides and a pangolin researcher at the Tswalu Foundation). There were no dissenting voices: not surprisingly, it was agreed that our San colleagues were highly likely correct in their interpretation. There is something really special about a fossil trackway, compared with fossil bones – it seems alive, as if the animal could have registered the tracks yesterday, rather than so long ago. What are the characteristics of pangolin tracks? Pangolins are mostly bipedal (walking on two legs), with a distinctive, relatively ponderous gait. Track size and shape, the distance between the tracks, and the width of the trackway all provide useful clues, as do the tail scuff marks and the absence of obvious digit impressions. A pangolin hindfoot track, in the words of our Master Tracker colleagues, looks as if 'a round stick had been poked into the ground'. And being slightly wider at the front end, it has a slightly triangular shape. Our Master Tracker colleagues are familiar with the tracks of Temminck's pangolin (Smutsia temminckii) in the Kalahari, which was the probable species that registered the tracks that are now evident in stone on the Cape coast. Other trackmaker candidates, such as a serval with its slim straddle, were considered, but could be excluded or regarded as far less likely. How old is the fossil track, and how do you know? The surface would have consisted of loose dune sand when the pangolin walked on it. Now it's cemented into rock. We work with a colleague, Andrew Carr, at the University of Leicester in the UK. He uses a technique known as optically stimulated luminescence to obtain the age of rocks in the area. The results he provided for the region suggest that these tracks were made between 90,000 and 140,000 years ago, during the 'Ice Ages'. For much of this time, the coastline might have been as much as 100km south of its present location. What's important about this find? Firstly, this demonstrates what you can uncover when you bring together different kinds of knowledge: our Western scientific approach combined with the remarkable skill sets of the Master Trackers, which have been inculcated in them from a very young age. Without them, the trackway would have remained enigmatic, and would have deteriorated in quality due to erosion without the trackmaker ever being identified. Secondly, we hope it brings attention to the plight of the pangolin in modern times. There are eight extant pangolin species in the world today, and all are considered to be threatened with extinction. Pangolin meat is regarded as a delicacy, pangolin scales are used in traditional medicines, and pangolins are among the most trafficked wild animals on earth. Large numbers in Africa are hunted for their meat every year. What does the future hold? Our San Indigenous Master Tracker colleagues have just completed their third visit to the southern Cape coast, thanks to funding from the Discovery Wilderness Trust. The results have once again been both unexpected and stupendous, and their tracking skills have again been demonstrated to be unparalleled. Many more publications will undoubtedly ensue, bringing their expertise to the attention of the wider scientific community and anyone interested in our fossil heritage or in ancient hunter-gatherer traditions. We hope that our partnership continues to lead to our mutual benefit as we probe the secrets of the Pleistocene epoch by following the spoor of ancient animals. DM This story was first published in The Conversation. Charles Helm is a Research Associate at the African Centre for Coastal Palaeoscience, Nelson Mandela University. Clive Thompson is a Research Associate at the African Centre for Coastal Palaeoscience, Nelson Mandela University. Jan Carlo De Vynck is an honorary researcher at the Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand.
CNN
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Oscar-winning director reveals the secret lives of pangolins
Pangolins have two claims to fame: first, that they are the world's only scaly mammal, and second, they are one of the most trafficked animals globally. Beyond that, most people know very little about them. But the new Netflix documentary 'Pangolin: Kulu's Journey,' hopes to change that. The 90-minute film follows the story of a three-month-old ground pangolin, Kulu, who is rescued from the illegal wildlife trade, and the slow, intensive process to return him to the wild in South Africa. 'Kulu's got an incredible personality, he's very much his own pangolin,' says director Pippa Elrich, best known for the Oscar-winning documentary 'My Octopus Teacher.' 'He's incredibly stubborn, determined to go where he wants to go, not that keen to have this strange two-legged creature following him around everywhere he goes,' she adds. The two-legged creature in question is Gareth Thomas, a conservation volunteer who took part in the sting operation that rescued Kulu. Rehabilitating rescued pangolins is an 'incredibly intensive process,' says Elrich: they rarely eat in captivity so they require daily walks, sometimes up to six hours a day, to feed on ants and termites. These daily walks aren't just for feeding: they are also getting the pangolin ready for the sights, sounds, and smells of its new habitat, and helping it overcome the trauma of captivity. 'The rehabilitation team asked (Gareth) if he would take Kulu into the wild and set him free. And I don't know if he realized that that was going to be the next 18 months of his life,' says Elrich. The film follows the duo into the wild savanna of Lapalala Wilderness Reserve, a four-hour drive from Johannesburg, immersing the viewer in the world of pangolins. 'They've got a magical quality; they are a mammal but they're covered in scales,' says Elrich. 'You just don't want pangolins to be seen only as the world's most trafficked mammal. You want them to be seen as these joyful, unique, special little creatures.' The ground pangolin, also known as Temminck's pangolin or the Cape pangolin, is one of eight species found globally, and the most widely distributed of the four species in Africa, with a territory ranging from South Africa to Sudan. When Kulu arrived at the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital, staff called him Gijima, which means 'to run' in Zulu, as the severely underweight yet feisty pangolin was constantly trying to run away during his feeding walks. It was during the six-month stint in the savanna that Thomas nicknamed the pangolin Kulu, a variant of the word for 'easy' in Zulu, to try to soothe him. Thomas grew up spending summers in the wilderness in South Africa and Zimbabwe, where he was born; but after school, he became 'detached' from nature, instead spending most of his time in the city. 'I had a bit of a yearning to be out there again,' he recalls. So in 2019, after picking up wildlife photography, he started volunteering with the African Pangolin Working Group and the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital. Thomas' self-shot footage of the pangolins was pivotal to the film, says Elrich: Pangolins are incredibly sensitive creatures, so Elrich says the production team had limited shooting days and relied heavily on Thomas for videos of the rehabilitation process and close-ups of Kulu. 'I realized, he has a very deep bond with these animals, and he understands them,' says Elrich. 'He understands how to get this very intimate footage, which almost makes you feel like you're seeing the world through the eyes of a pangolin.' While viewers will likely observe thematic similarities between 'My Octopus Teacher' and 'Kulu's Journey' — both explore human-wildlife relationships and our emotional connection with nature— Elrich says the drastically different ecosystems changed her approach to the film. 'One of the things that was so compelling about (My Octopus Teacher) is that you're going underwater, and that immediately takes you into this other universe,' she explains. 'Being in the terrestrial world, even if you don't know the bush, it is way more relatable.' The biggest threat to the pangolins is poaching for the $20-billion illegal wildlife trade, where their scales, meat and body parts are sold for traditional medicine, and their skins used for leather products. According to NGO Traffic, pangolins are largely trafficked to China and the US. With three of the four Asian species critically endangered, and difficulty breeding pangolins in captivity, poaching has increased in Africa: between 2017 and 2019, more than half of illegal pangolin seizures in Asia were from African pangolin species, accounting for 244,600 kilograms of scales and 10,971 individual animals. Ray Jansen, the co-founder of the African Pangolin Working Group, who features in the documentary, has witnessed the scale of this threat firsthand: the zoologist-turned-sting operative helped rescue 301 live pangolins, including Kulu, between 2016 and 2024, leading to the arrest of nearly 700 wildlife traffickers. Prior to 2017, Jansen says arrests in South Africa were met with meager fines, rather than jail time. But in recent years, conservationists like Jansen began providing expert witness testimony in court, resulting in sentences of up to 10 years. 'It sent out a huge warning message to these traffickers about pangolins,' Jansen says, adding that while he's observed a decrease in 'opportunistic' poaching in the country, 'sophisticated' organized crime networks continue to traffic for the international trade. Pangolins rescued from the wildlife trade are incredibly difficult to treat and rehabilitate, says Dr. Karin Lourens, the co-founder and head veterinarian of the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital, the first hospital in South Africa to treat pangolins (all pangolins are kept off-site in an undisclosed location). 'Because they haven't eaten, they don't have enough protein,' says Lourens, adding that this then causes a build-up of fluid in their lungs. 'Then, their pancreas stops working, so they can't digest food either.' 'It was a steep learning curve in the beginning,' says Lourens, adding she had no medical guidelines for the first ground pangolins in the hospital, but over the years, the survival rate has soared from 40% to 80%. The film crew also worked with Lapalala Wilderness, the 48,000-hectare reserve where Kulu was ultimately released, to secure filming permits and coordinate with the on-site anti-poaching unit to ensure safety for the pangolins and those transporting them. While poachers are an unavoidable topic when talking about pangolins, Elrich made the deliberate choice to highlight the emotional side of the little-known creatures. 'You've got to be careful about anthropomorphism, and I'm sure that's the criticism that we're going to get,' Elrich says. Lourens said she would have preferred for the documentary to focus on Africa's pangolin trade, something she says is 'sorely needed.' She also expressed concern about Kulu's overexposure to people during filming. Elrich says Thomas was 'incredibly strict' about when the additional videographers could film; 'I think I only did two shoots with Kulu, most of the time it was just Gareth and him,' she adds. Initially, Jansen too wanted the film to focus on the wildlife trade, a subject close to his heart — but after viewing the documentary, he changed his mind. 'It's a much, much better angle to focus on,' he says. 'I'm hoping that it spreads a huge awareness, and the world can fall in love with these incredible creatures.' While poaching remains a major threat for pangolins globally, Jansen says electric fences in game reserves are now 'responsible for the large majority of Temminck's pangolin deaths' in South Africa, illustrated in one terrifying scene when Kulu nearly runs straight into one, saved at the last minute by Thomas. Together with Thomas and Lapalala Wilderness Reserve, Jansen is working on a large-scale electric fence study and exploring new designs that could save wildlife. And a new 'pangolarium,' operated by the African Pangolin Working Group at Lapalala Wilderness, opened earlier this year — a kind of halfway house for pangolins between hospital and release, and a networking hub for conservationists. While it can house multiple pangolins, each one will still need its own dedicated walker for its daily mealtime. Despite global conservation efforts, pangolin numbers are in decline, with all eight species considered vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered by the IUCN. 'Pangolins really are a symbol of the fragility that we see in one another and in nature all around us,' says Elrich. She hopes audiences will connect with Kulu's story, and be moved to protect them and their environment: 'There is just nothing else like a pangolin.'
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Yahoo
World's first 'Pangolarium' opens to rehabilitate endangered species — and its secret location is sparking worldwide interest
The most trafficked animal in the world is now better protected, thanks to a one-of-a-kind facility with an incredibly fun-to-say name. The "Pangolarium" is a pangolin rehabilitation facility and sanctuary located in South Africa's Lapalala Wilderness Reserve, as detailed by National World. It was created by the African Pangolin Working Group and Lapalala nonprofit hotel Lepogo Lodges to protect the highly trafficked and endangered species. It's the first of its kind. Pangolins are amazing insect-eating creatures that are also the only mammalian species on the planet to sport scales. Because of this, they are sometimes referred to as "scaly anteaters." Their scales, along with their claws and meat, make them highly sought after by poachers. That's why they're the most trafficked mammal on the planet. The pangolin species is highly susceptible to stress, which is why they're rarely ever kept in captivity. According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, keeping these animals captive — even in zoos — has frequently resulted in stress-related deaths. The Pangolarium is intended to rehabilitate pangolins that have been saved from traffickers and release them back into the wild, according to National World. If you're concerned about the high concentration of these rare and beautiful creatures making the Pangolarium a target for traffickers, don't worry: Its location remains classified information for this exact reason. The sponsor of the project, Lepogo Lodges, is a group of luxury hotels in Lapalala Wilderness Reserve that donates all of its profits back to the reserve. It has pledged the entirety of its profits from two different locations to the Pangolarium and similar conservation efforts. While the future of the pangolin is still very much uncertain, conservation efforts like these offer hope. There have been some positive signs out there, as well. In 2023, a giant pangolin was spotted in Senegal's Niokolo-Koba National Park for the first time in nearly 25 years. In 2024, researchers in Pune, India, were shocked and elated to see an endangered Indian pangolin on camera. The Pangolarium team hopes to continue to make these sightings less and less rare as it works to better protect and preserve the pangolin species. Editor's note: This article has been updated to correct the spelling of "Pangolarium" and correct that it does not provide a permanent sanctuary to any pangolins, with its plans always to release any rescued pangolin back into the wild. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
