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African Pangolin Working Group

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Travelling to the DRC

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The Democratic Republic of Congo is Africa’s second largest country covering 2 345 million square kilometres. With its tropical rain forests and tropical savannahs, it is considered the most biodiverse country in Africa. While most conservation efforts in the country have been focussed on the endemic great ape species, there is a growing concern for pangolins due to the illegal wildlife trade. The DRC is home to three of the four African pangolin species: giant pangolins, white-bellied pangolins and black-bellied pangolins.

Since its inception, the African Pangolin Working Group has forged relationships with local stakeholders on the ground in several locations across the country, and our rehabilitation experts have advised, supported and funded pangolin rescues. Most of them have been behind the scenes operations, with the occasional rescue story too eventful not to share.

Why travel to the DRC?

When Dr Kelsey Skinner joined the team this year, she arrived fresh from two years working within Vietnam, a global pangolin trade hotspot. Her work focused on capacity building for pangolin rescue and rehabilitation, guiding multiple local and other continental conservation groups on best practice protocols. Imparting her knowledge of the very specific needs of traumatised pangolins and finding practical ways to achieve this goal, left a legacy that will continue to grow.

Recent high numbers of remote rescues have put the team further in touch with conservationists and vets in Kolwezi, Kinshasha, and As a result, Dr Kelsey and co-chair Nicci Wright are planning a two week trip to the DRC to meet up with these contacts and gain a deeper understanding of the conservation challenges they face, and investigate ways to provide support in partnership, working from a well-rounded and effective background of pangolin conservation model knowledge in South Africa and Vietnam

We will report back and let you know how YOU can help with this work in the near future.

“One individual cannot possibly make a difference, alone. It is individual efforts, collectively, that makes a noticeable difference – all the difference in the world!” Jane Goodall

You can make a small difference now

Dr Kelsey has been nominated for the the Worldwide Vets Golden Star Award for 2025. The winner is chosen by public vote which is open from 20 October – 13 November, with the top 10 finalists being announced on November 14. 
 
We ask that you please take a moment to vote for our star, Dr Kelsey Skinner 
 
Dr Kelsey’s unwavering commitment to conserve pangolins continues to inspire us all. Her continued veterinary excellence and compassionate care, for all animals here in South Africa, as well as beyond our borders makes her a worthy recipient that we are proud to have as part of our team.
 
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NEWS – The APWG Pangolarium – a milestone for pangolin conservation

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We are proud to  announced the opening of our state-of-the-art pangolin veterinary and rehabilitation facility within the pristine Lapalala Wilderness Reserve, on World Pangolin Day – February 15th, 2025.

APWG co-chair Alexis Kriel addresses the gathered guests

The inauguration event, held over the course of the weekend, marked a significant milestone in the conservation efforts for Temminck’s pangolin, in South Africa, and for the APWG.

Guests entering the Pangolarium for the first time; APWG founder Prof Ray Jansen gets a guided tour from co-chair Nicci Wright; Lunch in the lapa after the opening

Guests included conservationists, representatives from environmental organisations, ecologists, and scientists, all united in their support for the APWG’s ongoing contribution to pangolin conservation in South Africa. 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 state-of-the-art security ensure that rehabilitated pangolins have the best chance for a successful reintroduction back into the wild.

The team that made it all happen: Kate Hughes (Lepogo Lodges); Nicci Wright and Alexis Kriel (APWG co-chairs); Glenn Phillips (CEO Lapalala Wilderness); Gareth Thomas (APWG) and Prof Ray Jansen (founder and past chair APWG)

The Pangolarium (meaning a “place for pangolins”) is a purpose-built facility that 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.

The building of the facility has been financed by Lepogo Lodges – an NGO Lodge operator on Lapalala Wilderness Reserve and the Sustainability winner of the Ahead Travel Awards, for Melote House, in the MEA division.

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. Pangolins are currently considered the most illegally trade non-human mammal on the planet, with the eight species (four in Africa and four in Asia) varying from vulnerable to endangered on the IUCN Red List, and with all populations decreasing. They have been resident on earth for 85 million years.

The APWG invites the global community to join in supporting our pangolin conservation efforts. For more information on how to contribute or get involved, please visit our donations page.

Patio with fire pit at Circa Gallery

An evening to celebrate pangolins

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Our Together for Pangolins evening at CIRCA Gallery in Rosebank was a raging success.

The evening started on the upper deck and Darwin Room of the Circa Gallery with glasses of wine from Painted Wolf Wine and Waterford Estate, Vergelegen sparkling wine and a delicious harvest table from Service Station Cafe. A spectacular view of the sunset over Johannesburg, a fire pit and fantastic company set the mood for the evening.

Harvest table spread from Service Station Cafe in Melville

At 6:30pm the guest went down to the Middle Gallery to view the wonderful art and enjoy a video of pangolin photos put together by John Culverwell of Adlip video services.

Christine Read opened the event, followed by co-chair, Nicci Wright, who gave an informative talk about the essential work being done by the African Pangolin Working Group.

APWG co-chair Nicci Wright

After this opening, multi-award winning writer/director of My Octopus Teacher, Pippa Ehrlich, kept the gathering captivated with a talk about her next Netflix documentary, which centres around a special relationship with a pangolin and his minder.

Pippa Ehrlich with part of her rapt audience

Susie Goodman of Strauss & Co was a fantastic auctioneer of the curated art and luxury items in our live auction. Our guest enjoyed some lively bidding using the pangolin shaped paddles especially made for us by the Aluminum Trading Group. After the auction, our guest enjoyed more food and wine.

The full thank you list

  • Mark and Christine Read and their brilliant team at Everard Read Galleries for their generosity and support.
  • Carolynne Waterhouse of Rand Merchant Bank for her guidance and indefatigable energy and enthusiasm for pangolins.
  • Susie Goodman, Jackie Murray, Keanu Crause and the rest of the Strauss & Co team for their incredible generosity and support of the online and live auctions. Especially Susie for her auctioneering talents at the live auction.
  • Guy du Toit for being inspired enough to make three enchanting bronzes of hares with pangolins especially for this event.
  • Monique Landman (Everard Read) for hanging the artworks so expertly in the CIRCA Gallery.
  • Jillian Johnson (Everard Read) whose smile lit up every conversation and was our point of contact in the management of the event.
  • Magnificent Pippa Erhlich for her enthralling talk and for the fascinating peek into the world of award-winning wildlife filmmaking.

Angus and Piet from African Massive

  • Angus Morton and Piet Modiba from Africa Massive for once again providing stellar audio-visual services.
  • Carmen vd Merwe from Service Station Café for the out-of-this-world delicious food.
  • Painted Wolf Wines for their wine and their constant support of conservation and endangered species.
  • Vergelegen for the sparkling wine.
  • Waterford Estate for wine.
  • Reidel for the all the glasses.
  • John Culverwell of Adlip video services for his beautiful videos and for technical support.
  • Douw van Heerden for being our artist in residence and creating under the spotlight on the night.
  • Peter Girdwood – making gorgeous frames from Kajima’s travelling box for Gareth’s photos of Kajima.
  • Rowena Allan for the luxurious picnic baskets.
  • Amy Irving and Demz Viljoen-Doyle for their huge help on the night.
  • Stunning auction paddles in the shape of pangolins donated by Christopher and Andy of Aluminium Trading Group.
  • All the artists, artisans and donors, who so generously supported us with artwork and who turned up to support us on the evening.
  • All the people who bought tickets to the event and bid so enthusiastically in the auction.

 

The following pieces were full donations by these outstandingly generous people:

  • Christopher Greig (of Charles Greig Jewellers) who donated the Ardmore candleholders.
  • Steven John Wilkins who donated his bronze pangolin sculpture Comma.
  • Robert Rorich who donated his bronze sculpture Pangolin Boy.
  • Carolynne Waterhouse for the donations of the Noush Doll, Addo Flightless Dung Beetle, and Lion Paw, both by Robert Leggat.
  • Gareth Thomas for his donation of three photographic images and Kajima’s transport box that was used for the frames.

Gareth Thomas, photographer, talking about his special relationship with the pangolin, Kajima, who was featured in three photographs donated to the fund raiser.

  • Gillian Condy for her original Temminck’s pangolin water colour.
  • Carol Slabolepszy for her acrylic-resin Mother and Pup sculpture in silver-grey pewter finish.
  • Susan von Zahn for her sterling silver pangolin cuff.
  • Jez Prettejohn of African Pewter for the pangolin salad servers.

With the generosity of our donors and supporters we raised good funding for our work, but more than that, pangolins were very beautifully showcased, magnifying their extraordinary and unique charm. You couldn’t help but fall in love with them.

 

 

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Together for pangolins – the pangolin art event of the year

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TOGETHER FOR PANGOLINS, on July 25th, is a collaboration between Everard Read Gallery, Stauss & Co Art Auctioneers, and the African Pangolin Working Group. The aim is to raise awareness and  funds for the continued work of saving pangolins now and in the future. Everard Read has donated its CIRCA Art Gallery for this event – an architectural landmark, on the Keyes Art Mile. CIRCA winds its way up three stories in a Fibonacci spiral – a golden ratio found all throughout nature, and significantly in the coil of a pangolin.

The speaker at the event is Pippa Ehrlich – the multi-award winning co-writer and director of the Netflix documentary “My Octopus Teacher”. Pippa will talk about her next film, which explores the intimate relationship between a pangolin named Kajima and his minder Gareth Thomas, while Kajima was being rehabilitated and then released back into a protected wildlife reserve. Gareth Thomas will also be at CIRCA event, and his photograph of Kajima – framed in the wood of Kajima’s sleeping box, will be on auction.

For the event at CIRCA Art Gallery, a curated collection of mainly pangolin-themed artworks and sculptures, will be auctioned, by the dynamic Executive Director of Strauss & Co, Susie Goodman.

Online Auction at Strauss & Co

Also for pangolin conservation, and running concurrently with the July 25th event at CIRCA; Strauss & Co will have an exhibition of works for viewing at their gallery, in Houghton, Johannesburg, which will be auctioned from their online platform, between July 24th and August 5th – accessed through the Strauss & Co website. The works are all by upcoming and established artists and sculptors, who have aligned themselves with this important conservation cause.

The artist, speaker and donors of these events have been incredibly generous and all have an intense love of endangered species and the environment in which they live. We would like to thank them all!

Other donors  include Painted Wolf Wines, Rand Merchant Bank, Africa Massive, Umlani Bushcamp, andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve, Vergelegen Wine Estate, Adlip Video, Reciprocal Wine Company, Charles Greig Jewellers, African Pewter, Carolynne Waterhouse and  Mark-it Wise.

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BREAKING – Ally’s story continues

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This is a story of the persistence and resilience of a pangolin and of the people who watch over her – the dedicated researchers and wildlife monitors who have kept tabs on her since her release.

The pangolin in this story is our very own super-mom, Ally, who was retrieved from the trade in April 2020, released and gave birth to a pup in the months that followed. We are still overjoyed with all the “firsts” Ally and her pup, Pod has given us. Read the full story here.

Ally’s year in the wild

In the year since his birth, Pod has grown up and moved away, while his mother Ally has established herself in a good territory. Through discreet monitoring via her satellite and VHF tags and the strategic placement of trail cameras, the team on the ground has been able to build up a fascinating picture of wild pangolin behaviour. This is unprecedented as pangolins are among the most secretive and elusive mammals in the wild.

One of the most interesting developments was that of a wild pangolin visiting Ally’s burrow. We had no way of knowing if these visits were territorial or if they had another function, but Ally soon lets us know. In recent trail camera footage, Ally was caught emerging from her burrow with a new pup riding on her back. Watch the video below.

(Trail camera footage © Níall Beddy and Whitney Fourie;  First visual footage ©Francois Meyer)

This new pup makes Ally’s story the first documented case of a reintroduced pangolin, originating from the illegal wildlife trade, successfully integrating into the wild population. A true pangolin success story!

It takes a village to raise a pangolin pup

There is an incredible team of people behind the success of Ally’s story, and they need acknowledging. Especially the team on the ground who spend days trying to track down pangolins and without whom we would not have a successful release programme. If you want to know what is involved, watch the Francois in action here 

Thank you to

  • Francois Meyer, our Limpopo Field Manager, for managing Ally’s release and taking the lead on her monitoring and for all his hard work and research into pangolin behavior.
  • Níall Beddy and Whitney Fourie for their hard work in the field, their dedicated monitoring work, and for capturing the amazing trail camera footage.
  • Byron Pace from the Into the Wilderness podcast who, in collaboration with Scott Country, donated the trail cameras to aid Francois’s work, allowing us to capture these fascinating moments.
  • Ironman 4×4 for assistance with Francois’ vehicle. It covers some rough terrain and doubles up as high ground for tracking pangolins.
  • Lori Roos from Global 2×2 for donating the satellite tag used to monitor Ally’s movements in the critical post-release period.
  • The team at the African Pangolin Working Group for all their contributions.
  • The team at the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital for their treatment and care of Ally before her release last year.

The most important thanks

Finally thank you to Professor Ray Jansen. Not only for his dedication and hard work in the recovery of pangolins, but also for his guidance during all aspects of their recovery and release. In honor of his contribution to all our work, Ally’s new pup will be named Ray.

Help us keep track

To help us in our work of tracking released pangolins and learning more about their secretive lives, please contribute towards our tracking equipment.

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NEWS – Changes at the African Pangolin Working Group

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We value your contribution to our mission to save the most trafficked mammal!

With your help, we have had our best year so far and we have new and exciting plans for the future of our organisation.

You will find our Chairman’s report here.  We pride ourselves on transparency, ethics, good governance, kindness to animals and harmony between us humans.

Ray Jansen

Our mentor and friend, Prof Ray Jansen has resigned as the Chairman of the APWG after 12 years at the helm of what has become a remarkable organisation – it started off as a conversation between likeminded individuals in 2009, the organisation was established as an NPO in 2011 and today we have an international reputation and successes that we would not have imagined would be possible.

Ray has been granted Honorary Life Membership with the APWG, so while he steps down from his immediate role as the chairman of our group, he will not be going away anytime soon.

In Rays words:

After 12 years of working with pangolins and 10 years following the establishment of the African Pangolin Working Group (APWG), I have decided to resign as Chairman and Board member and revert back to my focus on academia – my teaching, but more importantly scientific research in the natural world. I have been truly blessed to be a part of such a wonderful, vibrant and active pangolin conservation organisation that is the APWG and, to have support from such an amazing collective of individuals that make up its Board and field staff. More than that, how can one describe the privilege it has been to work with pangolins. They are spiritual, bewitching, mystical and peaceful beings that have taught me much about life and about the joys and horror that is human nature. I have been honoured by the APWG Board with a Life Membership, for which I am truly humbled. As such, I remain part of this incredible organisation and will continue to assist and support where I can. Nicci Wright and Alexis Kriel have been voted collective co-chairpersons of the organisation – I cannot think of two better people to take the APWG through to greater heights as the organisation currently experiences a growth phase. I remain active and committed to my pangolin research with my postgraduate students and hope to continue for many years to come.

 

Our work

Our work spans the fields of intelligence operations, confiscations of pangolins from the illegal trade and we are mandated by the South African Government to oversee the high care, rehabilitation of pangolins and their release back into an appropriate wildlife area. We do training for law enforcement, prosecutors, vets and rehabilitation specialists in South Africa and beyond, we work closely with SAPS and the Environmental Inspectorate and our publication of research is extensive.

The African Pangolin Working Group is currently in a growth phase where we are formalising our structure and moving towards an increase in staff. In the last 10 days, we entered into a grant agreement with USAID for combatting pangolin-related wildlife crime in the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation area which spans the borders of South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. We are in the process of purchasing a vehicle with sponsorship provided by Pangolin Crisis Fund and invitations for projects with artists, photographers and the media come in on a daily basis. Our second International Pangolin Conference will be held in Kruger Park in September and virtually at the same time, with pangolin conservation specialists presenting from across the globe.

We feel excited about the next phase in the life of our organisation. We will continue to grow, to meet the challenges of saving a creature that belongs on this planet and we welcome you to continue to partner with us going forwards.

Best wishes

CO-CHAIRS – AFRICAN PANGOLIN WORKING GROUP

Nicci Wright and Alexis Kriel

 

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Groundbreaking sentence in pangolin poaching case

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On 17 September, 2019 at Silver Oaks, Pretoria, members of the Cullinan Stock Theft & Endangered Species Unit, assisted by members from K9 Benoni, Silverton and Law Enforcement Officials from the Gauteng Department of Agriculture & Rural Development also known as the Green Scorpions, and members of the African Pangolin Working Group conducted a sting operation in which a pangolin was offered for sale to an undercover agent.

Four suspects were subsequently arrested and the vehicle they had used to transport the pangolin was seized. At the time of the arrest, the female pangolin was still alive but severely dehydrated and badly compromised. The pangolin died a few days later at the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital due to malnourishment, dehydration and various physical injuries sustained during captivity. The pangolin had suffered severely while it was kept in captivity as its bones and tendons were clearly visible due to emaciation.

Charges

Charges against two of the four suspects were withdrawn by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Pretoria due to insufficient evidence to prove their involvement. Advocate Jeff Nethononda from the Director of Public Prosecutions, Pretoria office, prosecuted the case in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court where the presiding magistrate was Ms Luut. The investigation led by Sergeant Morné Kemp from Cullinan Stock Theft & Endangered Species Unit, worked hand in glove with the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) to secure a successful prosecution and conviction.

Professor Jansen, attached to the Faculty of Science at the Tshwane University of Technology in Pretoria, and the founder and Chairman of the African Pangolin Working Group, testified in aggravation that the illegal trade in pangolins makes them the world’s most trafficked mammal. Professor Jansen testified that pangolins are ant eaters, have no defence mechanism and are totally harmless. He further testified that pangolins, globally, are critically endangered and close to being extinct in the near future.

Sentencing

On March 15, 2021, the 2 accused were found guilty and sentencing handed down by the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on May 19, 2021 as follows:

Accused 1:  Orateng Mekwe, a South African citizen, was sentenced to 10 years direct imprisonment without the option of a fine for Contravening Sec 57(1) of National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act 10 of 2004 and for carrying out a restricted activity pertaining to the illegal trade of Pangolins.

Accused 2: Jealous Rungano, a Zimbabwean citizen, was sentenced to 3 months imprisonment and to be deported back to Zimbabwe i.t.o Sec 49(1)(a) of Immigration Act 13 of 2002.

They were both declared unfit to possess a firearm i.t.o Sec 103 of the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000. Application for leave to appeal was granted.

A clear message

Part of the magistrate’s judgment was that a clear message must be sent to poachers that the illegal trade of wildlife will not be tolerated, just like rhinos, the pangolins and all other wildlife species need to be protected for future generations to appreciate.

The NPA welcomed the sentence as it is the highest sentence ever imposed upon conviction of pangolin poaching in South Africa.

The African Pangolin Working Group’s Chairman, Professor Jansen says that this sentence not only sets a South African and an African continental precedence but also a global precedence for the highest jail sentence given to a pangolin poacher.

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WATCH – Pangolins are People Too

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On Thursday 13 May 2021 we took part in a very enjoyable panel discussion hosted by Struik Nature (an imprint of Penguin Books) and Richard Peirce, author of Pangolins: Scales of Injustice

While we did not get to all the questions posed before the event, or all the questions asked by viewers, we did get to chat about our work,  the pangolins we work with, and how they are individuals with distinct personalities who display a range of human-comprehensible emotions.

Watch this fascinating talk here:

 

If you would like to support the work we do for pangolins, please donate through one of our many options.

In addition, if you are in South Africa, please register for a My School card, nominate the African Pangolin Working Group as your beneficiary and swipe it wherever you can.

 

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