Illegal trade in wildlife is one of the biggest threats to the future of countless endangered species, perhaps none more so than pangolins. But the dedication of conservationists to protect and rehabilitate pangolins victimized by this trade offers much needed rays of hope. The journey of Tot in this recent article is one such hopeful story.
Tot was separated from her mother after being rescued from poachers, with poor health threatening to end her story prematurely. But conservationists in Johannesburg helped her recover, and five months later, Tot is learning to become a wild pangolin. Rehabilitation is key to reviving traumatized pangolins whose lives have been upended by wildlife criminals, and stories like Tot’s prove that with some love and care, pangolins can be protected and made ready to return to the wild.
Read more about Tot’s recovery here.