Over the months of April and May, Matang took in two pangolins from surrounding communities, residents of which had found them around their homes and recognised that these animals would be better suited to the rainforest rather than human habitations and surrendered them to Matang. Pangolins are scaly anteaters - the scales of these animals are formed with keratin, the same substance that makes up our hair and fingernails. When threatened, pangolins curl up into a ball, and the edges of the scales are razor-like, providing extra protection. Pangolins are nocturnal, and well adapted to their diet of insects with a keen sense of smell and strong claws on their feet to allow them to break into rotten wood and termite mounds. They are also excellent climbers, looking far more at ease in the trees than on the ground where their long claws make walking slightly cumbersome. The two pangolins that found their way to Matang have now taken up residence in Kubah National Park. Click here for a short video of one of the pangolins bidding a hasty retreat upwards |
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