Communities unite to protect endangered pangolins

By Anil Parajuli

Hetauda, Oct. 19: Communities in Makwanpur have joined hands to protect pangolins, a species listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). 

The Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), listed as endangered, and the Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla), listed as critically endangered, are being rescued from different parts of the district and sheltered in community forests.

The Chuchchekhola and Rani Community Forest User Groups have been actively conserving pangolins within their forest areas.

According to Basanta Raj Gautam, Forest Officer at the Makwanpur Division Forest Office, 25 rescued pangolins have been placed under protection in community forests across Makwanpur. Of these, 23 are Chinese Pangolins and two are Indian Pangolins, all kept in Chuchchekhola Community Forest.

A special Pangolin Park has also been built in Hetauda-17 to support the conservation effort. The Division Forest Offices in Hetauda and Rapti are collaborating closely with local communities, municipalities, schools and youth groups to promote pangolin protection through coordination and awareness programmes.

“Local people have become the main force behind pangolin conservation,” said Kedar Gautam, Manager of the Chuchchekhola Community Forest User Group. “As awareness has grown among residents and students, people now rescue injured or trapped pangolins and hand them over to the community forest for safe keeping.”

According to the Rapti Manahari Division Forest Office, pangolins are regarded as a source of local pride and as “friends of nature”. The office reported that pangolins are found along the foothills of the Chure range, where sal forests are dense, and also in the upper forests of Chitlang and Palung.

Due to the district’s connection with Chitwan and Parsa National Parks to the south and Phulchoki-Chandragiri Forest to the north, both pangolin species are believed to be present in the area. Pangolins have been spotted in more than 150 community forests across Makwanpur.

“The pangolin is a shy and peaceful mammal, known as a farmer’s friend,” said Forest Officer Bishnu Prasad Acharya. “It mainly eats ants and termites and does not harm crops, livestock or people. Because it naturally controls crop-damaging insects and enriches soil while digging, it plays an important ecological role.”

However, the pangolin population is declining due to illegal poaching and trade, superstition, low public awareness, forest fires, climate change, shrinking habitat, human encroachment, infrastructure development and the use of pesticides. “These threats have pushed the pangolin towards extinction,” Gautam said.

The pangolin is listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and protected by Nepal’s National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1973. 

The Act includes 27 species of mammals in the endangered category, including the pangolin. Under Section 26 (1) of the Act, killing, injuring, trading or transporting a pangolin can lead to a fine of Rs. 500,000 to Rs. 1,000,000 or imprisonment of five to 15 years, or both.

Although the government prioritised pangolin conservation, placing it alongside the tiger, rhino, elephant, musk deer and red panda, most investments still focus on large animals, leaving smaller species like the pangolin overlooked.

To address this, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation implemented the Pangolin Conservation Action Plan (2018-2022), which aims to expand knowledge about pangolin ecology, control poaching and illegal trade, identify and manage habitats, and increase local participation in conservation.

In Nepal, pangolins are usually found up to 2,500 metres above sea level, mainly in quiet sal forests of the Chure and Mahabharat ranges, across 61 districts. They live underground in burrows during the day and search for food at night, making them nocturnal creatures.

According to the Division Forest Office, pangolins are found not only in Makwanpur but also in Dhading, Sindhuli and Kavrepalanchok districts of Bagmati Province. Of the eight pangolin species found worldwide, two occur in Nepal. Covered with thick scales, the animal is known by different names across regions, Hilemacho’ or ‘Salmachari’ in the Tarai and ‘Bhakunde Bhoot’ in the western hills.