VISAKHAPATNAM: An Indian male pangolin, a critically endangered species, that strayed into the Gitam University campus was rescued by a student and handed it over to the zoo officials here on Thursday morning.
According to the zoo officials, the scaly anteater appeared weak when it was brought by the students as it was kept in a room the previous night. “The pangolin has a few wounds and it will take a few days recover. It has been put in observation and will be released after 8-10 days to its natural habitat,” stated zoo assistant curator Ali Mashadi.
Raj Chopra, a third year BBM student who rescued the rare mammal on Wednesday night, said, “I found the pangolin near the entrance gate of my University at 10 pm.The watchman was trying to kill it with a stick and that is when I noticed it. I first checked its condition and then I tried calling the police. I kept it with me in a room and called my friend on Thursday early morning to shift it to zoo.”
Since pangolins depend on insects, zoo veterinary doctor Srinivas said, “We had to arrange special feed for the pangolin. We had to get a few termites and other insects from the nearby location to feed it in the morning. After which we checked its overall condition and tried to heal the wounds. After a few hours we fed the creature with pieces of boiled egg with milk powder.”
Pangolins are critically endangered species and are protected under Schedule One of the Wildlife Act.
These anteaters are also the most trafficked mammals in Asia as they are hunted for their meat and scales. They are also smuggled to other countries by poachers.