Wild Singapore: The Sunda Pangolin Protecting a Prized but Endangered Mammal
by Helena Cochrane The forests that Singapore has been able to preserve amidst the enormous demand for development are writhing with wildlife that you might see and much that hides from view. Inherent in the shrinking of habitat is the threat to survival for the many species endemic to our island. Singapore is not the only place in Southeast Asia where competing needs pose dilemmas that require complex resolutions. Anti-poaching laws, and attention to conservation have made marginal inroads in protecting these animals. For some animals, Singapore may be their safest haven, even as highrises and manufacturing plants rise out of felled forests and open fields. The Sunda Pangolin, the world’s only scaled mammal, is said to be safer in Singapore, even with its shrinking habitat. In the last 12 years, over a million Sunda Pangolins have been hunted and killed throughout Southeast Asia for the magical, medicinal properties falsely attributed to these scales. They’re also hunted for their meat. In parts of China and Vietnam, pangolin meat is prized as a delicacy. Pangolins’ scales, formed from keratin, provided a solid defense against the tigers that used to inhabit Singapore. Since tigers were hunted to full extinction here in 1932, pangolins then foraged rather freely in forests and plantations, digging for the insects that made up their diets. Currently, they are known to live in Singapore’s central catchment area, in Bukit Timah, on Pulau Ubin, and in wooded areas near Nanyang Technological University in the west. As both foragers, and nocturnal, they’re unlikely to be seen in the daytime. In 2019, a Channel News Asia team filmed an immature pangolin with an
Kampog Gelam Pangolin on mural by Jaba
infrared camera. The young animal had found its way into University buildings at night, evidence of how difficult it is for the animals to adapt to an urban environment. The ‘scaly anteaters’ have snouts and long claws (but no teeth) that enable them to dig deep into ant and termite nests, while their scales keep the ants from stinging their bodies, and protect their eyes. They are fast walkers and nimble climbers, solitary and shy. Their ability to curl up in a tight ball, tucking their tails around their bodies and clenching in Sunda Pangolin. Credit: Wildlife Reserves Singapore
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AWA Magazine July/August 2022
