World Pangolin Day is the third Saturday in February and each year it is a day that the global pangolin community comes together in celebration of these unique and wonderful animals. There are many ways one can celebrate pangolins. This year, we hosted Run For Pangolins, our first ever virtual charity run and were blown away by the support we received.
This day re-connects us with our colleagues around the world and with the growing community of pangolin lovers and enthusiasts who support us and our work to save pangolins from extinction. Let’s take a look at some of the celebrations that took place on this momentous day…
Organization: The Program for Sustainable Management of Natural Resources in the South-West Region (PSMNR-SWR)
Location: Mamfe, Cameroon
The Division of the South West Region of Cameroon hosted celebrations that started off with a brief history of pangolins, including current threats and conservation measures. This was followed by a quiz – students were selected to participate and answer questions on pangolins and prizes were awarded to the top competitors. The pinnacle of the day was a march/bicycle ride through major streets in Mamfe, Cameroon and participants shared flyers and stickers with onlookers.
Organization: Eastern Ghats Wildlife Society
Location: Andhra Pradesh, India
Pangolin Champion Murthy Kantimahanti organized a local Run For Pangolins, and encouraged community members to take part in their hour long run to raise support and awareness for pangolin conservation efforts. Murthy and the Eastern Ghats Wildlife Society received a grant from Save Pangolins in support of their work collecting data on the status of pangolins in the area, as illegal poaching and trade has been on the rise since 2010. They are working to establish baseline data on the distribution of pangolins to inform future conservation action.
Organization: Small Mammals Conservation and Research Foundation (SMCRF)
Location: Kathmandu, Nepal
The Small Mammals Conservation and Research Foundation (SMCRF) hosted celebrations for World Pangolin Day aimed to combat illegal wildlife trade and empower local indigenous community members to take part in conservation of the species. Representatives from the Community Forest Users Group (CFUG) were trained as “pangolin guides” to support ecotourism in the area and on World Pangolin day nearly 200 participants took part in a hike on the pangolin trail. Funds raised during the event were donated to the Bagh Bhairav Community Forest service. The SMCRF also installed information boards in the foothills of the community forest to educate visitors about the local biodiversity, the importance of pangolin conservation and how to maintain clean forest areas. Pangolin Champion and SMCRF Co-founder, Tulshi Laxmi Suwal participated in the Community Capacity Enhancement Training and spoke about pangolins, their role in the ecosystem, the importance of their conservation and the role of communities in continued conservation efforts.
Organization: Greenhood Nepal
Location: Lalitpur, Nepal
Pangolin Champion Kumar Paudel and his organization Greenhood Nepal hosted a Pangolin Roundtable discussion open to members of the community, in adherence to Covid-19 safety precautions. The event debuted with stories from IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group members, followed by remarks from Nepal’s top conservation officials, researchers and practitioners.
Organization: Saint Mark’s Animal Rescue Foundation
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Pangolin Champion Dr. Mark Ofua completed his pangolin veterinary training with African Pangolin Group in mid-February 2021. A few days later, he immediately got to work implementing the training he received and opened a pangolin rehabilitation center just in time for World Pangolin Day.
Organization: Pangolin Conservation Guild Nigeria
Location: Zoom! People joined from all over the globe.
Pangolin Champion Elisa Panjang joined a panel discussion on the theme: Towards Sustainable Pangolin Conservation in Nigeria to add her expertise in pangolin conservation and help educated others. The discussion was hosted by the Pangolin Conservation Guild Nigeria in a collaborative effort with WildAid and Wildlife of Africa Conservation Initiative.
World Pangolin Day 2022 will take place on Saturday, February 19th - a mere ten months away! We hope you’ll join us in our celebrations.
