Pangolins Released Into Wild May Be Recaptured and EatenPosted by iwthanoi on November 16th, 2019 The pangolin tentatively poked its nose out of an open pet carrier, sniffing the humid night air. Ahead, freedom beckoned: a tangled, fern-filled forest in central Vietnam, remote and heavily patrolled by anti-poaching rangers. But as if unable to accept the reality of what its beady black eyes were beholding, the animal remained firmly in place. Another minute passed. Then two. Finally, slowly, it unfurled its slinky-like body and quietly waddled into the darkness, never looking back. On Monday, in the largest such event ever to take place for pangolins, this animal and 45 others rescued from traffickers were put back into the wild at a reserve on the Vietnam-Laos border (unidentified for fear that poachers reading this might target the location). But while the ordeal for those pangolins is over for now, there is no guarantee that they won’t wind up back in the illegal wildlife trade in the future. Like it? Share it! More by this author |