Baby pangolin can’t stop thanking his rescuers

• Dr. Mark Ofua rescued Neal, a baby white-bellied pangolin, from captivity.
• He took care of him and brought his strength back, hoping that one day, he will live in the wild in peace.
• For now, Mark is focused on getting the tiny pangolin ready for his true home in the wild.

When Dr. Mark Ofua learned that a baby white-bellied pangolin needed his help in Epe, Lagos, Nigeria in February, he responded without having any second thoughts.

“I quickly drove the 50 kilometers (31 miles) to the marketplace because I realized his chances were already slim,” Mark told The Dodo. “He was born to a mother weakened by the stress of captivity, with no food or water for days, even weeks. He was already hypoglycemic and cold when I found him.”

Born in captivity to bushmeat traders, Neal would not have survived without Ofua’s assistance. Pangolins like Neal are the world’s most trafficked animal because of their prized meat and unique scales, and Neal’s genus is listed as endangered.

“The traders were most willing to hand him over to me because he was only a burden to them,” he added.

As soon as he came back to SaintMarks Animal Hospital and Shelter, Mark warmed Neal up and started him on formula to build up his strength.

Normally, pangolins of his age would have been spending their days riding around their mother’s tail. But for Neal, he was grateful that he was rescued and cared for.

Pangolins are typically shy and mysterious, but not for Neal. He loves to play with his caregivers and give them warm kisses with his long, muscular tongue — which is normally used to hunt for ants in the wild.

“He is a very playful lad who is still learning to ‘pangolin,’” the vet said. “He very much likes to seek out his caregivers and nuzzle on them for comfort. He recognizes very easily his feeding blanket and bottle as he very much loves his milk!”

“I hope to release him to the SaintMarks pangolin rehabilitation center once he is of age and able to forage for himself accordingly,” Mark added. “The center is in a protected forest, and he hopefully will live the rest of his days there.”

When he’s ready, Neal is expected to be released in a “pangolorum” in West Africa, which will serve as the soft release site for rescued pangolins being reintroduced into the wild.

“To better protect them, we must embark on a full-scale educational program for the entire community on the need to protect [pangolins], while encouraging the government to step up to the duty of protecting these endangered species,” Mark said.

Although Neal still has a long way to go, Mark hopes that, one day, the tiny pangolin will live in the wild peacefully.

For the meantime, the two can relish their sweet moments together.

Source: The Dodo