Pangolins are the world’s most heavily trafficked mammal, making it particularly challenging for conservationists across the world to prevent their eventual extinction.
Largely driven by demand in China and Vietnam, pangolins are poached extensively for their scales and meat. International trade of pangolins has reached epic proportions, with more than one million traded illegally in the last decade. Furthermore, as pangolins produce only one to two offspring each year, the global pangolin population is depleting at a much faster rate than it can reproduce.
In Singapore, Sunda pangolins are mainly distributed in nature reserves and adjacent nature parks on the mainland. They can also be found on the islands of Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong.
While there are no reports of pangolin poaching in Singapore, the species has suffered massive habitat loss due to the city-state’s rapid urbanisation. As a result, they have wandered into residential areas and onto roads, where they are easily injured or killed by vehicles.
Furthermore, while local rescued pangolins have been released into the wild, the challenge of monitoring them post-release should be carefully addressed, including suitability of release sites and evaluation of survival rates.
