India now has not two but three pangolin species residing in the country. They are the Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla), and the most recently discovered and described Indo-Burmese pangolin (Manis indo-burmanica).
Following a research study by the Zoological Society of India (ZSI) scientist Mukesh Thakur and colleagues, it was found that the Indo-Burmese pangolin had diverged from the Chinese pangolin around 3.4 million years back during the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs. The divergence was triggered by geo-climatic changes in the Indo-Burmese region.
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| Indian pangolin. Image credit: USAID Asia. Ansar Khan / Life Line for the Nature Society via Flickr.com. |
Range In India
Indian pangolin: It is found throughout the country except for the Himalayas, the Thar desert, and northeast India.
Chinese pangolin: It is found in Northeast India and the Eastern Himalayan region.
Indo-Burmese pangolin: It resides primarily in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. Further studies need to be conducted on its distribution.
Range Beyond India
Indian pangolin: Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan
Chinese pangolin: Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong
Indo-Burmese pangolin: Possibly Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar
.jpg "A Chinese pangolin") |
| A Chinese pangolin. Image credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters via Wikimedia Commons. |
IUCN Red List Status
Indian pangolin: Endangeredn
Chinese pangolin: Critically Endangered
Indo-Burmese pangolin: Yet to be assessed
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| Table showing some important facts related to pangolin species found in India. |
What Are Pangolins?
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Pangolins roll themselves into a ball for defense. Image credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters via Wikimedia Commons
Pangolins, also called scaly anteaters, are mammals with a thick armour of keratin scales covering the dorsal part of their bodies. These animals live in tree hollows or burrows dug in the ground and are highly nocturnal. They are found in a wide variety of habitats including forests, grasslands, shrublands, etc. They feed almost exclusively on ants and termites. According to WWF, a pangolin can consume about 20,000 ants per day or 70 million ants a year. Thus, they help keep the ant population under control. The name pangolin is derived from the Malay word penggulung, which means "roller." It refers to their behaviour of rolling into a ball when threatened to expose only their thick, scaly armour and protect their softer underparts. They are slow breeders, producing only around one to three offspring a year, making their populations vulnerable to numerous threats.
Threats To Pangolins
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Illegally traded bag of pangolin scales caught by authorities. Image credit: D’Cruze N, Singh B, Mookerjee A, Harrington LA, Macdonald DW (2018) via Wikimedia Commons.
At present, the biggest threat to all pangolin species is poaching for illegal wildlife threat. The scales of pangolin are used to prepare traditional medicines in China and some Southeast Asian nations. The scales are ground and pulverised and are used as an ingredient in such medicines. However, scientists have proven that there is no scientific basis for such usage because the scales are made of keratin, the same material present in our hair and nails. Pangolins are also poached for their meat.
Laws and regulations, both in India, like the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and globally, like the CITES rules, protect pangolins from hunting. However, due to the high demand for pangolins in the black market, stopping the poaching of this species has become difficult.
.jpg "Pangolins in an illegal market in Myanmar.") |
| Pangolins in an illegal market in Myanmar. Image credit: Dan Bennett via Wikimedia Commons. |
Thus, pangolins are sadly now the most illegally trafficked mammal on Earth. As per TRAFFIC-India, over 6,000 pangolins were poached in the country between 2009 and 2017. It is believed to be an underestimated figure as a large number of cases of pangolin killing and trafficking go undetected.
In addition to poaching, habitat loss also threatens these animals all across their range.
Pangolin Research And Conservation Achievements In India
An Indian pangolin entering its burrow. Image credit: Madhusudan Katti via Flickr.com.
Forest departments, conservation NGOs, and local communities across India are working together to resolve the conservation crisis faced by pangolins in the country.
One of the pioneering studies is being led by the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department in association with the NGO Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT-India). They have successfully rehabilitated 15 pangolins rescued from smugglers and rehabilitated them in the wild with the help of sniffer dogs. The dogs, trained at recognising pangolin odour, helped the conservation team identify pangolin burrows. The team then used camera traps to understand if the burrows were empty or occupied by pangolins or other wildlife. Those burrows that had no occupants were used as new homes for the rescued pangolins. These pangolins were fitted with radio tags to record their movements and then released in the burrows. The good news is that 13 rehabilitated females have already produced offspring after mating with wild males.
Last year, members of the Tangkhul Naga tribe in three Manipur districts adopted a resolution to stop pangolin hunting and protect the species instead. Their decision resulted from the efforts made by the Wildlife Trust of India to conserve Chinese pangolins in the Northeast, where hunting is still quite a popular activity despite the laws banning wildlife hunting. Such conservation initiatives give hope to India's pangolin species.
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