The Pangolarium
Situated in the pristine Lapalala Wilderness Reserve, the Pangolarium is a purpose-built pangolin veterinary treatment, care and rehabilitation facility for Temminck’s pangolin.
Opened on World Pangolin Day 2025, it marked a significant milestone in the conservation efforts for Temminck’s pangolin, in South Africa, and for the APWG.
Lapalala Wilderness Reserve, spanning approximately 48 000 hectares in Limpopo province, within the UNESCO designated Waterberg Biosphere, offers an ideal environment for pangolin rehabilitation. The reserve’s diverse ecosystems and technologically advanced security ensure that rehabilitated pangolins have the best chance for a successful reintroduction back into the wild.
The building of the facility has been sponsored by Lepogo Lodges – an NGO Lodge situated in Lapalala Wilderness Reserve. Limpopo Province is historically the province with the highest incidence of pangolins retrieved from the illegal trade, sharing borders with Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Botswana – all pangolin range countries – where transboundary collaborators facilitate the poaching and sale of pangolins in South Africa.
The Pangolarium (meaning a “place for pangolins”) aims to enhance the rescue, veterinary high care, rehabilitation, and reintroduction processes for pangolins rescued from the illegal wildlife trade on the west side of Limpopo Province, also accessible from the north of the province, and with a doorway into North West Province. Equipped with advanced medical and husbandry resources, the centre provides a facility where this vulnerable species can recover and prepare for a return to their natural habitat. It will also serve as a basecamp for the APWG’s ongoing research and education initiatives.
This centre will be a fulcrum for:
- Community animal welfare outreach projects.
- Training, as a facility for other pangolin professionals – local and beyond our borders.
- Collaboration – with other pangolin organisations, both local and abroad to improve techniques.
- A research and data collection hub where pangolin science fuels our approach to pangolin treatments and conservation, and where future research topics evolve.
- Data analysis, to uncover meaningful patterns and insights, where raw data will be converted and can be applied.
- Creation of pangolin-focused educational resource material for the Lapalala Wilderness School and other educational facilities.
