A fascinating creature was sighted in Senegal's Niokolo-Koba National Park for the first time in 24 years, giving hope to conservationists who are keen to ensure the species' survival.
The giant pangolin, a scaly mammal that is a member of the anteater family, was caught on film in March 2023. The animals have been devastated by poaching, deforestation, and a slow reproduction rate. According to the University of Oxford, 8.5 million pangolins were removed from West and Central Africa between 2014 and 2021.
"Nobody suspected that the pangolin is still alive in [this park]," Mouhamadou Mody Ndiaye of wildlife monitoring organization Panthera said, per New Scientist. "When we saw the young pangolin it was very, very exciting."
It is hoped the Niokolo-Koba National Park could become a key conservation site for the species. Many areas in Africa have suffered local extinctions of pangolins, which the World Wildlife Fund believes are the most trafficked animal on the planet. They are particularly coveted for their meat and scales, with the latter used in leather products.
As the WWF detailed, experts believe Earth is experiencing its sixth mass extinction event. Human activity is primarily responsible for this phenomenon, with unsustainable land, water, and energy use and a warming climate to blame.
"Currently, the species extinction rate is estimated between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than natural extinction rates — the rate of species extinctions that would occur if we humans were not around," the WWF noted. "While extinctions are a normal and expected part of the evolutionary process, the current rates of species population decline and species extinction are high enough to threaten important ecological functions that support human life on Earth, such as a stable climate, predictable regional precipitation patterns, and productive farmland and fisheries."
Saving animals such as the pangolin can make a huge difference in helping to keep the natural balance in check. Conservation efforts are important, but so is the reintroduction of animals to areas that have experienced local extinction.
In Montana, for example, the reintroduction of wild bison to tribal lands has encouraged the growth of native plants, created nesting environments for birds, and encouraged native animals to return.
A warming climate is an extinction driver we can all help to tackle. Making responsible choices to reduce our daily production of planet-warming pollution — such as ditching gas-guzzling cars and shopping in thrift stores — can help limit rising temperatures that are affecting so many animal populations.
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