Vetnews | Julie 2024 6 « BACK TO CONTENTS Dr Debbie English is a true Kruger Park baby; born and bred. With Dad Don English, the bush was her first school. It seems like she had no other choice but to become involved in animals one way or the other, being a vet is what she always wanted to do. After completing her Compulsory Community Service year in Lydenburg and working at Longtom Animal Hospital in 2019, she accepted a position in Hoedspruit at Provet Animal Hospital in 2020. How did your path intersect with Pangolins? Provet Animal Hospital has been involved with the rescue and stabilization of pangolins for a long time as the area is prone to these special animals being poached. Dr Pete Rodgers taught me everything he knew but I felt challenged to know more and I knew I could play a bigger role in conserving them. Historically, rescued pangolins were handled by the African Pangolin Working Group and usually transported to Johannesburg for further treatment, rehab and release. I felt compelled to give them the best chance of re-introduction into the bush they most likely came from and were accustomed to without the additional stress of long road trips and this is how my journey started. Where do the confiscated pangolins come from? Although large predators, starvation, fires and possibly disease pose a threat to wild pangolins, the vast majority of threats facing pangolins today are of a human origin. The confiscation of illegally handled pangolins usually originates from tip-offs or community handovers. It has to be understood that, unlike a rhino, a pangolin is a very small animal that can easily be hidden in for instance a backpack. There is no large body at a poaching site with vultures exposing the terrible deed, pangolins are picked up and carried away. It is not difficult to hide them. The decline in pangolin numbers in Asia shifted the focus to Africa, and due to poverty, this is very difficult to curb. Please tell us more about the Community Handovers. Community Handovers are where people voluntarily surrender the animal. Pangolins can be a little naïve and may wander into populated areas or be forced to move through built-up areas due to habitat destruction as a result of the increasing human population in the country. Being such a strange animal people are not familiar with, they are collected and kept in a yard or shown around. Many people may, through being uneducated, not even know that it is a protected animal or an animal of value. People do not realise it is the most trafficked animal in the world. I believe that it is often poachers who get cold feet, they may be in possession of an animal but not have an offset point, or they may have come to their senses not to keep or sell the animal. Sometimes animals are found wandering in the rural area, possibly being released or escaped. This accounts for about a quarter of confiscation cases. Interview with Dr Debbie English Provet Veterinary Hospital Hoedspruit Dr Debbie English on Pangolin rescue, rehabilitation, and release. Around 100,000 are taken from the wild in Africa and Asia each year, driving a silent extinction. Populations have declined dramatically across the continent, with pockets of isolated wilderness areas retaining the last healthy populations. – AfricanParks.org
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