Pangolin reaches major milestone on road to recovery

A pangolin is slowly but surely on the mend as he receives treatment at the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital (JWVH).

At the end of September, Rocky the pangolin arrived at the hospital in a poor state. His starving frame bore infected wounds that lay deep beneath his scales. What’s more, staff members surmised that he had likely been confined in his own waste.

Thankfully, the hospital has given a positive update on Rocky’s condition.

PANGOLIN’S ‘ROCKY’ ROAD TO RECOVERY

Per a recent Facebook post shared by JWVH, Rocky’s draining wounds – which included a deep abscess in his tail that had opened through his skin – were contributing to significant protein loss in his body. This affected his abundance of albumin, a protein that keeps fluids within the bloodstream.

As a result, his albumin level was 16 g/L. Between 27 and 41 g/L is considered healthy and safe for pangolins.

Now, Rocky’s level has climbed to 19 g/L. While this number is still low, it’s a heartening milestone for Rocky to reach on his health journey.

‘NOT OUT OF THE WOODS’

Rocky continues to receive medical care. Image via Facebook @johannesburgwildlifevet

The JWVH team also lifted the lid on their efforts over the past three weeks:

Getting here has taken meticulous wound care, daily tube feeding, carefully tailored medications and supplements, and blood checks every two to three days. Using very small blood samples allows us to adjust treatment while limiting blood loss in an already anaemic patient.

Additionally, alongside undergoing echocardiography to assess his heart function, Rocky received a blood transfusion from a healthy pangolin donor.

While he receives the best available care, JWVH says that Rocky still has a long way to go before he can be considered healthy enough to be released into the wild. Nevertheless, the improvements that he has shown stirs hope:

Almost a decade of dedication to pangolin medicine has brought us here: research informing our care, experience refining our decisions, and every patient teaching us something more. Rocky is still not out of the woods. But today, we can see a little sunlight through the trees.

PANGOLIN CRISIS

Native to Africa and Asia, pangolins are recognised by their scaly armour. This armour consists of dark-coloured keratin shells that help the pangolin to protect itself from predators.

According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, pangolins are critically endangered, as they are coveted for their meat and scales, the latter of which are used in traditional medicine.

They are also trafficked as part of an exotic pet trade, though these animals often suffer in poorly-kept environments, as illustrated by Rocky’s case. This can decrease their chances of surviving outside of their natural habitat.

In related news, five suspects were arrested in White River, Mpumalanga, after allegedly trying to sell a live pangolin for R500 000. After being remanded in custody, three of these suspects are slated to appear in court again this Friday, 23 October, in relation to a bail application.