Armoured Anteater

One of the most famous, locally endangered animal, appearing on numerous logos, the most famous would be that of the Wildlife Reserve Singapore conservation fund (WRSCF) . Our very own armoured anteater, the Sunda Pangolin.

The Sunda Pangolin (Manis javanica), is also known as the Malayan Pangolin, is a native animal of  Singapore. It is an nocturnal insectivore, preying on ants and termites. Their conical head, sticky tongue and toothless mouth are adaptations allowing the animal to efficiently extract ants and termites out of their nests. Their powerful front claws allows them to easily break apart nests and climb trees with the help of their tails. The signature scaly shell protects them not only from the ant bites, but from predators as well, when threaten the pangolin can curl up into a ball. The shell is made up keratin, the same material as your fingernails, but thicker, making it difficult to chew or break.

Pangolin cub rides on its mother's tail at the Night Safari

Pangolins are highly threatened by poaching and are still hunted for their meat and for traditional chinese medicine, where their scales are believed to be cures for ailments such as asthma and eczema, big markets still exist in China, Vietnam and Thailand. Hunting these animals in large numbers due to their demand as well as habitat loss, where forests are cleared for things like agriculture, are driving the population numbers of the species down.

Singapore has been investing much time and effort to save the local pangolins still present in our wild, most pangolin sightings do not happen on mainland, but on our offshore islands, such as Pulau Tekong. Some organizations helping to conserve and study them include the WRS, Save Pangolins and even the Singapore Night Safari, having successfully breed and raise 3 cubs in captivity. The WRS hosted in 2013, a convention to brainstorm on solutions to better conserve the pangolins. The brainchild of the conference, the Singapore Pangolin Working Group, was formed by the WRS and started in 2014. Other organisations like Save Pangolins conduct educational programmes in order to get the public more involved and informed about the situation, the conservation efforts and most importantly, what they can do to help stem the poaching of these unique beasts.

These majestic animals have a fighting chance to be saved and with everyone putting in effort, I hope to see these shy creatures gain a strong foothold for survival here in Singapore.

References

Lee, J. (2015). The Pangolin Perplexity. Blog.wrs.com.sg. Retrieved 20 October 2015, from http://blog.wrs.com.sg/the-pangolin-perplexity/

Lee, J. (2015). The Pangolin Perplexity. Blog.wrs.com.sg. Retrieved 20 October 2015, from http://blog.wrs.com.sg/the-pangolin-perplexity/

Lim, N., & Ng, P. (2008). Home range, activity cycle and natal den usage of a female Sunda pangolin Manis javanica (Mammalia: Pholidota) in Singapore. Endangered Species Research, 4, 233-240. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/esr00032

National Parks Board,. (2014). Pangolins. Retrieved 20 October 2015, from https://www.nparks.gov.sg/gardens-parks-and-nature/dos-and-donts/animal-advisories/pangolins

Save Pangolins,. (2011). Conservation. Retrieved 20 October 2015, from http://savepangolins.org/conservation/

ST,. (2015). Pangolin mother and cub. Retrieved 20 October 2015, from http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/baby-boom-wildlife-attractions-here