‘We are all ecstatic’: Rescued wild pangolin gives birth to healthy pup

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In April 2020, conservation authorities in South Africa rescued a pregnant Temminck’s pangolin from the wildlife trade, and placed her in the African Pangolin Working Group’s release program after an extensive rehabilitation process.

There is a paucity of information about pangolin reproduction biology, so it was difficult for veterinary staff to ascertain when the rescued pangolin would eventually give birth.

In August 2020, camera trap footage revealed that the rescued pangolin had given birth to a healthy pup.

Ally arrived at the veterinary hospital the way most rescued pangolins do: underweight, dehydrated and suffering from pneumonia. But a routine ultrasound revealed that Ally wasn’t a typical patient — she was also pregnant.

In April, officials working for the South African Police Service’s Endangered Species Unit managed to rescue Ally, a wild Temminck’s pangolin (Smutsia temminckii), from people attempting to traffic her for her body parts. Pangolins will not eat or drink while in captivity due to extreme stress, says Ray Jansen, chairman of the African Pangolin Working Group (APWG), so her health had quickly deteriorated while in the hands of the traffickers.