VietNamNet Bridge - Twenty sunda pangolins were released back to the forest on August 10 by the Carnivore and Pangolin Conservation Program (CPCP), a collaboration between Save Vietnam's Wildlife (SVW) and the Cuc Phuong National Park.

The critically endangered pangolins were rescued from the wildlife trade and rehabilitated at SVW/CPCP in Cuc Phuong National Park, Ninh Binh Province.

The released pangolins were part of a seizure of 21 pangolins confiscated by the Forest Protection Department officers in Ninh Binh province in June 2016.

Pangolins normally do not survive well in captivity and yet of the 21 pangolins confiscated 20 survived and were released. 

“This successful release and high survival rate of the rehabilitated pangolins is in large part thanks to the co-operation of Ninh Binh Forest Protection Department which enabled us to release the animals quickly and avoid the high mortality that pangolins normally experience due to captive stress,” Phuong Quan Tran, CPCP manager, said. 

Prior to release the pangolins were given thorough health checks to ensure they had fully recovered from the injuries they received in the illegal wildlife trade and were micro-chipped allowing them to be identified in future. 

SVW Executive Director Thai Van Nguyen said: “This year we have released 95 Sunda Pangolins confiscated from the wildlife trade back to safe locations in the wild. While this is a good news story, these pangolins represent only a fraction of those pangolins illegally traded each year in Vietnam. We need to do more on enforcement and awareness otherwise these precious mammals may become extinct in our lifetime”.

Lan Thi Kim Ho, SVW Education Outreach Manager, who was part of the release team said: This is the best part of the job, seeing the animals return to the wild, where they should be”. 

Pangolins are the most traded animals in the world. Vietnam has two species (Sunda Pangolin and Chinese Pangolin) and both species are critically endangered, which means both are in imminent threat of becoming extinct in the wild.  This latest release will bring a total of 95 Sunda Pangolins released by Save Vietnam’s Wildlife in the last 14 months.

Phuong Nga