World Wildlife Day with The Pangolin Project

Every year, on March 3rd, we celebrate World Wildlife Day. This year, following the latest, damning IPCC report, I discuss my time working in Kenya with The Pangolin Project

World Wildlife Day

Now in its ninth year, World Wildlife Day (WWD), initiated in 2013 by the UN, celebrates and raises awareness for the world’s wild flora and fauna. This year’s theme, Recovering Key Species For Ecosystem Restoration, is particularly apt following the recent report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In it they state that 40% of the world are “highly vulnerable” to the impacts of climate change. Yet in a cruel twist those most at risk are those that have done least to cause the problems.

With that in mind, it may seem odd to mark today as a celebration when there seems little to celebrate. Far from it, there are still reasons to be positive. While problems seem to grow exponentially every day, I’m a firm believer solutions can emerge just as quickly, particularly given the spotlight the climate crisis now gets across global media. Perhaps if they had paid more attention to it before the word ‘crisis’ was added on the end, our window of opportunity could have been larger.

Given this years WWD theme, one species vital in ecosystem restoration is the pangolin. The world’s most trafficked animal, this scaly little mammal is one few of you reading may have heard of, and even less may have seen. A lot is still to be discovered about pangolin, but one organisation working to conserve and understand this fascinating animal is The Pangolin Project.

Pangolin and Pup, Image © Mark Boyd

The Pangolin Project

Just over a year ago, I was on the eastern border of the Kenya’s Maasai Mara reserve, documenting the work undertaken by The Pangolin Project - an organisation dedicated to researching and conserving the most illegally trafficked mammal in the world. 

From a photographic perspective, it was the chance to document the fascinating work the organisation takes on. They, like many, realise the imperative need to focus on an holistic approach - placing local communities and individuals at the heart of any conservation endeavour. 

As desperate as I was to see my first pangolin, the trip was about more than that. For four days, I accompanied Dr. Claire Okell, the organisations founder, and researcher Joel Siololo, as they tracked collared pangolin, set up camera traps, trained rangers and perhaps most importantly, engaged local communities in the need to conserve pangolin. 

Researcher Joel Siololo uses a VHF tracker to search for Pamjoa, a collared pangolin

The rangers of Ol Derekesi Conservancy, home to an array of pangolin

On our community visits, we discussed Maasai cultural beliefs on Pangolin, some of which negative - notably they were an omen for bad luck. As well as others, centred around their medicinal use. One woman invited us in to her house, showing us the three pangolin scales she has used for years to mitigate extreme pain during child birth. 

She showed us how she would scrape them together, combining the shavings this produced with boiling water to create the desired medicinal drink. 

As sceptical of this as I may have been, as I will never have to experience giving birth, let alone in an area where medical care is a far cry from the part of the world I was fortunate enough to be born in, I had no right to comment. Excitingly though, I could take some photographs. 

Keen to work within her house, for that is where she had kept the scales, we created a make shift lighting set up, made up primarily of iPhone flashlights, and began work on a variety of images. 

I wanted the image to blend the scales with an element of Maasai culture, with Claire rightly suggesting her beaded bangles made the perfect accompaniment to the scales.

A blade of natural light pierced the house through a hole in the wall, there to act as ventilation when cooking inside. The musky odour of burnt ash mixed with dried earth that comprised the round buildings walls overwhelmed our sense of smell. And in all my hours spent holding a camera, primarily directing it at fast moving wildlife, this was amongst the most exciting moments of my career.

Three pangolin scales, visibly scratched and still beautiful

We have sat on this image for a while, unsure how to use it to good effect. We were also concerned how it may be received, given the pangolin’s status as critically endangered. Would there be a back lash against the Maasai’s beliefs? Something we were determined to avoid as, until you have ventured in to that part of the world, it is impossible to understand the measures some must take to survive. 

Despite this, at the time I took the image, it was the closest to a pangolin sighting I had got. Three scratched scales in the palm of her hands. 

My hope is that this image, and the story behind it, highlights the value of an holistic conservation approach. If we can conserve the last few wild spaces, and involve those living in close proximity to them, the future can be brighter.