The Temminck’s pangolin, one of the eight pangolin species, lives in South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe and is currently listed in the IUCN red list as Vulnerable. This nocturnal mammal is covered in keratinous scales, which are largely used in traditional medicine and for this reason it is the most illegally trafficked animal worldwide. It has a long sticky tongue used to capture preys, which consists of ants and termites, and its average body size is 7-12 kg but can vary geographically. Most of the rescued pangolins come from the illegal wildlife trade or are found in electric fences, from which they cannot escape. Due to the urgent conditions they are usually found in, they must undergo a period of rehabilitation during which they have to be looked after and “walked” in areas where they can feed by themselves. After this rehabilitation period, they undergo a soft-release procedure, during which pangolins can become accustomed to the new area or habitat, the monitoring team and the people handling them. This thesis will present the criteria that have to be fulfilled before releasing a pangolin in a specific area. The first prerequisite is a health check that meets some minimum requirements, the weight of a pangolin to be released should be around 6,5 kg but can change according to the specific case. The release site is carefully chosen according to the area of origin of the pangolin, the minimum area required is 5000 ha and it must provide foraging and burrows for protection and sleep. In addition, the safety of the area must be assessed before releasing the animal, which means the presence of electric fences, predators, human settlements and poaching incidents. As far as the post-release monitoring is concerned, a monitoring team is required and the pangolin is equipped with a VHF tag for telemetry, a satellite tag and in some cases a UHF to collect data for research. In this dissertation, three examples of pangolin release are presented and discussed in light of the Standard Operating Procedures developed by APWG, underlying how flexibility is important when dealing with single cases of Temminck’s pangolin release. This is done to reduce the stress and consider that the severity of the conditions of the individuals and the degree of habituation to humans can vary.

The Temminck’s pangolin, one of the eight pangolin species, lives in South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe and is currently listed in the IUCN red list as Vulnerable. This nocturnal mammal is covered in keratinous scales, which are largely used in traditional medicine and for this reason it is the most illegally trafficked animal worldwide. It has a long sticky tongue used to capture preys, which consists of ants and termites, and its average body size is 7-12 kg but can vary geographically. Most of the rescued pangolins come from the illegal wildlife trade or are found in electric fences, from which they cannot escape. Due to the urgent conditions they are usually found in, they must undergo a period of rehabilitation during which they have to be looked after and “walked” in areas where they can feed by themselves. After this rehabilitation period, they undergo a soft-release procedure, during which pangolins can become accustomed to the new area or habitat, the monitoring team and the people handling them. This thesis will present the criteria that have to be fulfilled before releasing a pangolin in a specific area. The first prerequisite is a health check that meets some minimum requirements, the weight of a pangolin to be released should be around 6,5 kg but can change according to the specific case. The release site is carefully chosen according to the area of origin of the pangolin, the minimum area required is 5000 ha and it must provide foraging and burrows for protection and sleep. In addition, the safety of the area must be assessed before releasing the animal, which means the presence of electric fences, predators, human settlements and poaching incidents. As far as the post-release monitoring is concerned, a monitoring team is required and the pangolin is equipped with a VHF tag for telemetry, a satellite tag and in some cases a UHF to collect data for research. In this dissertation, three examples of pangolin release are presented and discussed in light of the Standard Operating Procedures developed by APWG, underlying how flexibility is important when dealing with single cases of Temminck’s pangolin release. This is done to reduce the stress and consider that the severity of the conditions of the individuals and the degree of habituation to humans can vary.

Field application of the Standard Operating Procedures for the soft release in the wild of Temminck's pangolins (Smutsia Temminckii)

GUGLIELMIN, ELENA
2021/2022

Abstract

The Temminck’s pangolin, one of the eight pangolin species, lives in South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe and is currently listed in the IUCN red list as Vulnerable. This nocturnal mammal is covered in keratinous scales, which are largely used in traditional medicine and for this reason it is the most illegally trafficked animal worldwide. It has a long sticky tongue used to capture preys, which consists of ants and termites, and its average body size is 7-12 kg but can vary geographically. Most of the rescued pangolins come from the illegal wildlife trade or are found in electric fences, from which they cannot escape. Due to the urgent conditions they are usually found in, they must undergo a period of rehabilitation during which they have to be looked after and “walked” in areas where they can feed by themselves. After this rehabilitation period, they undergo a soft-release procedure, during which pangolins can become accustomed to the new area or habitat, the monitoring team and the people handling them. This thesis will present the criteria that have to be fulfilled before releasing a pangolin in a specific area. The first prerequisite is a health check that meets some minimum requirements, the weight of a pangolin to be released should be around 6,5 kg but can change according to the specific case. The release site is carefully chosen according to the area of origin of the pangolin, the minimum area required is 5000 ha and it must provide foraging and burrows for protection and sleep. In addition, the safety of the area must be assessed before releasing the animal, which means the presence of electric fences, predators, human settlements and poaching incidents. As far as the post-release monitoring is concerned, a monitoring team is required and the pangolin is equipped with a VHF tag for telemetry, a satellite tag and in some cases a UHF to collect data for research. In this dissertation, three examples of pangolin release are presented and discussed in light of the Standard Operating Procedures developed by APWG, underlying how flexibility is important when dealing with single cases of Temminck’s pangolin release. This is done to reduce the stress and consider that the severity of the conditions of the individuals and the degree of habituation to humans can vary.
2021
Field application of the Standard Operating Procedures for the soft release in the wild of Temminck's pangolins (Smutsia Temminckii)
The Temminck’s pangolin, one of the eight pangolin species, lives in South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe and is currently listed in the IUCN red list as Vulnerable. This nocturnal mammal is covered in keratinous scales, which are largely used in traditional medicine and for this reason it is the most illegally trafficked animal worldwide. It has a long sticky tongue used to capture preys, which consists of ants and termites, and its average body size is 7-12 kg but can vary geographically. Most of the rescued pangolins come from the illegal wildlife trade or are found in electric fences, from which they cannot escape. Due to the urgent conditions they are usually found in, they must undergo a period of rehabilitation during which they have to be looked after and “walked” in areas where they can feed by themselves. After this rehabilitation period, they undergo a soft-release procedure, during which pangolins can become accustomed to the new area or habitat, the monitoring team and the people handling them. This thesis will present the criteria that have to be fulfilled before releasing a pangolin in a specific area. The first prerequisite is a health check that meets some minimum requirements, the weight of a pangolin to be released should be around 6,5 kg but can change according to the specific case. The release site is carefully chosen according to the area of origin of the pangolin, the minimum area required is 5000 ha and it must provide foraging and burrows for protection and sleep. In addition, the safety of the area must be assessed before releasing the animal, which means the presence of electric fences, predators, human settlements and poaching incidents. As far as the post-release monitoring is concerned, a monitoring team is required and the pangolin is equipped with a VHF tag for telemetry, a satellite tag and in some cases a UHF to collect data for research. In this dissertation, three examples of pangolin release are presented and discussed in light of the Standard Operating Procedures developed by APWG, underlying how flexibility is important when dealing with single cases of Temminck’s pangolin release. This is done to reduce the stress and consider that the severity of the conditions of the individuals and the degree of habituation to humans can vary.
Temminck's pangolin
Soft release
Monitoring
Criteria for release
Wildlife trade
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12608/40955