Critically endangered Philippine pangolin rescued from illegal trader

MANILA, Philippines — A Philippine pangolin (Manis culionensis) or scaly anteater was rescued from an illegal wildlife trader in Quiapo, Manila, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) reported Tuesday.

Authorities assess a rescued a Philippine pangolin (Manis culionensis) or scaly anteater from an illegal wildlife trader in Quiapo in Manila. (Photo courtesy of DENR)

The DENR-National Capital Region Enforcement Division and security officers of Barangay 384 in the City of Manila conducted the operations to rescue the Philippine pangolin on March 19, 2020.

The mammal was brought to the Wildlife Rescue Center at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center in Quezon City for medical care.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List shows that the Philippine pangolin is classified as “critically endangered”, with its population continuing to decline mainly due to loss of habitat and poaching.

According to IUCN, critically endangered means a species is “considered to be facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.”

“To render public service during the crisis, the DENR wildlife monitoring and rescue units – Wildlife Traffic Monitoring Unit at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and the Port Integrated Clearance Office at the North Harbor in Manila – will continue to operate to ensure that animals that come in or are taken out of the country are documented and legally acquired,” DENR said.

GSG