ENVIS Centre, Ministry of Environment & Forest, Govt. of India

Printed Date: Friday, March 29, 2024

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An appeal from the Director of Environment in view of the World Pangolin Day, 2020

 AN APPEAL FROM THE DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENT IN VIEW OF THE

WORLD PANGOLIN DAY, 2020

 

 
The Ninth annual World Pangolin Day is celebrated on 15 February 2020. World Pangolin Day is an opportunity for pangolin enthusiasts to join together in raising awareness about these unique mammals and their plight. The Indian pangolin, thick-tailed pangolin, or scaly anteater (Manis crassicaudata) is a pangolin found on the Indian subcontinent. The colour of the scales varies depending on the colour of the earth in its surroundings. It is an insectivore, feeding on ants and termites, digging them out of mounds and logs using long claws, fore limbs. It is nocturnal and rests in deep burrows during the day.
 
            The Indian pangolin has recorded from various forest types, including Sri Lankan rainforest and plains to middle hill levels. The animal is found in grasslands and secondary forests, and it is well adapted to desert regions and tolerance to dry areas, but prefers more barren, hilly regions. It is distributed throughout India, Pakistan, and South Asia, occurring in Sialkot, Jehlum, Gujrat, districts northwest of Punjab, Kohat, Attock, Khyber, Sindh, and Baluchistan. Pangolin species has reached in high elevations, and sighted in Sri Lanka at 1100 meters and in the Nilgiri Mountains in India at 2300 meters. It prefers soft and semi-sandy soil conditions suitable for digging burrows.
             Eight species found worldwide (four each in Asia and Africa), two are found in India: the Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) and Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla).         They have driven to the edge of extinction in Asia, with the Chinese pangolin listed as “Critically Endangered” in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, while its Indian counterpart is categorized as “Endangered” in the list. Hunting and trade in both the pangolin species found in India is banned under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, while international trade is prohibited under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora or CITES. The Indian Pangolin is found throughout the country south of the Himalayas, excluding the north-eastern region.
 
 
IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT PANGOLIANS:
 
 
          On this World Pangolin Day, I urge all to take responsibility for joining hands with common people,  Government agencies,   NGOs,  and people of all the community to enhance public awareness towards the conservation of Pangolins.
 
 
 
Director
Department of Environment