It is early morning in Vietnam’s Central Highlands. Mist still hangs over the dense forest as the FZS team and rangers from Kon Ka Kinh National Park carry out their routine check of camera-trap footage from the previous day. What they find is a small sensation. Three images show a creature that many in the region had long considered a phantom: a Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla).
Three Seconds, Three Images
The sighting of this Critically Endangered animal is documented in three camera-trap images. Each shows a small, rounded animal quietly moving through the undergrowth at night. Three images captured within just three seconds – a fleeting moment that nevertheless provides remarkable evidence.
The observations made by the FZS team led by Project Manager Ha Thang Long were published this year in Oryx, the international journal of conservation published by Cambridge University Press.
The new record provides an important insight: the animal was documented around 950 kilometres farther south than previous records in Vietnam. This suggests that the Chinese pangolin’s range extends farther than previously thought.
The Chinese pangolin can be identified by its large ears and the visible, exposed skin on its face. Confirming the species, however, requires a trained eye for one particular detail: its short tail has fewer than 20 rows of scales. This clearly distinguishes it from the more common Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica).
A Discovery That Shifts the Boundaries
Illegal wildlife trade and poaching have pushed the Chinese pangolin to the brink of extinction. The animals are particularly sought after for their scales, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine and command high prices on the black market.
Just how rare the Chinese pangolin has become is reflected in figures from the rescue centre at Cuc Phuong National Park, one of Vietnam’s most important centres for rescued pangolins. While around 1,500 Sunda pangolins have been cared for there over recent decades, only 24 Chinese pangolins have been admitted.
The new evidence was recorded just eleven kilometres from the most recent record of a Sunda pangolin, which is classified as Critically Endangered. This makes Kon Ka Kinh National Park one of the few known places in the world where the ranges of both species overlap – a remarkable indication of the park’s exceptional biodiversity.
Thousands of Kilometres Through the Forest
“Camera traps help us record species that would otherwise remain hidden from us. At the same time, protecting forests and wildlife habitats requires the continuous commitment of dedicated people,” says Project Manager Dr Ha Thang Long.
In the past year alone, rangers covered thousands of kilometres on patrol in Kon Ka Kinh National Park, removed more than 1,000 snares set by poachers and confiscated nine illegal weapons.
“Supporting this daily conservation work is essential to securing the future of wildlife – and our own future as well.”
For more than 15 years, FZS has been working alongside the management of Kon Ka Kinh National Park to do exactly that. The latest record of a Chinese pangolin is more than a rare sighting. It is a sign of hope – and evidence that long-term conservation can make a difference.