Indian Pangolin

• The project launched to protect pangolins has succeeded at Pench Tiger Reserve and Satpura Tiger Reserve in MP as the mammals have started to breed there.
• The pangolin conservation project has been launched with help of Wildlife Conservation Trust, Mumbai.

ABOUT PANGOLINS

• Pangolins are only known mammals that have scales made of keratin that cover their entire body.
• When threatened, they can roll into a ball to protect themselves.
• Also called Scaly Anteaters.
• These are nocturnal mammals that dig burrows and feed on ants and termites.
• Pangolins, and play a vital role in ecosystem management, mostly in aerating and adding moisture to the soil.
• Two Pangolin species are found in India-
  • the Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) and
  • the Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla).
• Protection status
  • IUCN Red list status
    • Indian Pangolin- Endangered
    • Chinese Pangolin- Critically Endangered
  • In India, pangolins, both Indian and Chinese, are protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 that prohibits its hunting, trade or any other form of utilisation.
  • All pangolin species are listed in Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Appendix I.