Last February, Mark, a wildlife doctor in Gillia, heard the news,
A baby white rich pangolin needed her help, so she immediately jumped in the car and went to the scene.
The baby pangolin, Neal, was caught in captivity by bush meat traders not long after it was born.
Fortunately, it survived with the help of Dr. Mark.
Mark said I drove to the market 50 kilometres away to rescue him because I knew his chances of surviving were slim and the pangolin mom was locked up by the merchant and gave birth to the baby in a weak condition.
I found that when the baby pangolin was in his blood sugar, he had a cold because he hadn't eaten or drunk for a long time.
The merchant was happy to hand over the baby pangolin to me, because to them it was just a drag bottle.
Pangolins are the most endangered species in the world by smuggling because humans love their flesh and unique scales, and the white-skinned long-tailed pangolin, also known as the tree pangolin, has been listed as endangered by the IUCN.
Mark took the pangolin to the animal hospital for treatment and fed him some animal formula to help him recover and gradually recover.
Neal doesn't have a mom, but Dr. Mark can give him a lot of love. Dr. Mark also said that Neal enjoys interacting with the people who take care of him, often rubbing his nose and coddling, and he will soon recognize his little quilt and bottle because he loves milk too much.
The pangolin is mysterious and shy, but Neal is lively and is still learning how to be a pangolin. Neal uses his long tongue to steal caregivers, which is the first step in learning to use his tongue before he can flexibly catch ants.
When Neal grows up to live independently, Dr. Mark will release him to a protected area where he will spend the rest of his life in a protected forest.
The reserve is home to not only Neal but also other pangolins that have been rescued.
Dr. Mark said he hopes that one day pangolins like Neal can live carefree in the wild, but the road is still long, and it will take more people to protect pangolins.