Farewell to Pangolin
Usually, I go to bed late at night. I read an article or go through an eye-catching and inspirational book. But when I fail to find something interesting, I turn on the television. I believe that newspapers, media and books are a good source of information and keep people updated with the latest developments in the world. Above all, social media has made human interaction and access to information easy in far reaching areas. In the current era, one can get in touch with family and friends in any corner of the world in just a few moments. Thanks to Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms. It could be rightly called the power of media in general and social media in particular. Relating to this, there is a story that I want to share with my colleagues and other readers.
It was around 12:00 am on 18 December 2015 when I turned on the TV, there was breaking news on with ‘police in action’. I took a deep breath and thought for a moment that it could be about the arrest of some ‘most wanted’ or a target killer in Karachi. It came to my mind that this would eventually help in restoring peace in the city. There was a large mob of people who had arrived to the location to know what had happened. But, after a few seconds, it appeared that an animal named the Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) had been found in bushes near Islamia College and was taken into custody by Jamshed Town police, Karachi. The rolled up animal seemed fearful in the presence of people. It might have felt great danger to its survival so it had taken up that shape. As the mob dispersed, the police shifted the animal to the station and kept it there till morning. On the second day, the animal was handed over to Karachi Zoo for its upkeep and care. As the animal feeds only on ants and other insects, therefore, it was very difficult for zoo management to keep it for long time. The Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD) being the sole custodian of wild animals in the province took notice of the issue and received it from zoo authorities.
In order to release the animal into its natural habitat i.e. Khirthar National Park, the SWD contacted WWF-Pakistan. I, as the media representative of WWF-Pakistan, was assigned to participate in the release operation of the animal. I had a great desire to get a glimpse of the animal as I had never seen it before. We left for Khirthar National Park, 45 kilometres from Karachi, and joined the SWD official on the way. As we reached there, wildlife officials informed us that the pangolin would be released in the Khar Centre of the park where a large population of the animal already exists. It was really dark in the area as the sun had already set before we arrived. There was a dead silence except whispers of the wind and sounds of some remote wild animals. Local wildlife officials guided us and we reached the point where the pangolin was to be released. We took the animal out from the bag and placed it on the land. It had rolled itself up firmly. We asked all the participants to keep silent and turn off their lights. After a while, the pangolin started to unroll itself and crawled forward. It also made some huffing sounds while straightening itself. We turned on our search lights when it had travelled a few meters. We all waved our hands and bid him farewell as the animal disappeared into the wild.
According to literature, there are eight species of the pangolin , particularly in Asia and Africa and the one species i.e. the Indian pangolin is found in Pakistan. It is present in various parts of the country including hilly and sandy areas of Sindh, Balochistan, KPK and Punjab. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, all species of pangolin are endangered and require immediate conservation efforts.
The pangolin, also known as the scaly anteater, is hunted for its scales, which are sold for illegal trade and export from Pakistan at lucrative rates. Studies indicate that poaching, illegal hunting and trafficking of the animal to a few countries including China and Vietnam has drastically reduced its population in Pakistan. There is an urgent need to create awareness among the general population, especially students. Out of fear, people kill this innocent and harmless animal mercilessly. There should be strict penalties for culprits involved in the illegal trade of pangolins and other endangered species in Pakistan.
Asif Ali Sandeelo is Senior Communication Officer at WWF-Pakistan.
