Pangolin in transport container made from tree bark, caught by poachers.
The last two of this series of photos is of a Pangolin. The one above is a close up of the scales on his back and the one prior is of poachers standing beside a makeshift trap or way of transporting the animal. Pangolins are awesome creatures, a bit like our armadillo only about three times larger and thought to be good luck by the native population. Sometimes the scales are mixed with certain tree bark and then it is said to cancel out witchcraft and evil spirits. Pangolins are mammals from the family
Pholidota, commonly known as scaly anteaters and are mostly nocturnal. Natives trap and sell them to fellow tribesmen who then eat them and in so doing inherit the good fortune from it as well as make use of the rest of the carcass for potions and spells.
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I happened across this particular pangolin at the end of the '08 rainy season. He was bundled up in a crude but effective bark cage, which denied the poor thing even minimal movement. The 'owner' of said pangolin was on his way to Balama, a small village, to sell the hapless thing for what he assured me was a handsome price. Fortunately for the pangolin, we did not let this happen, and promptly set about releasing him from his bark cage (and into our custody). The poacher responsible was pretty livid, but once i explained he was committing a crime - pangolins are highly protected throughout their range- he piped down to just the odd rumbling. We then travelled a few kilometres down the bush track and released him into the bush, away from any onlookers.
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