Vetnuus | July 2024 7 Are the animals more valuable dead or alive? Surely it is easier to transport the scales than a whole animal. Pangolins are not only poached for their scales, the complete animal can be utilised. It is also used for bushmeat, bones and even the fetuses are an Asian delicacy. Pangolin trade has not seen its height in South Africa yet. With the number of cases still rising there are likely many pangolins still out there. How difficult is it to treat, rehabilitate and successfully release a pangolin? Of all the species of wildlife I have treated before, pangolins are by far the most challenging. Many many factors lead to unsuccessful treatment. Pangolins come in at different stages of suboptimal health. To triage and determine the true state of health is something that only comes with experience. Not a lot is known and published in terms of the veterinary care of these animals and a lot is still done by trial and error and the development and improvement of these skills takes a great deal of time. For starters, pangolins have, between individuals, very different personalities. It almost takes a developed sixth sense to determine how well an individual is going to respond to human handling and treatment. Pangolins are very prone to stress in captivity and unfortunately, no drugs have been found to be effective in curbing this. There is very little known about their normal values – although Dr Karin Lourens from Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital has done a great deal of work determining haematology and biochemistry reference ranges. Because pangolins curl up in their defensive ball one cannot perform any procedures or treatments unless they are anaesthetized – therefore inhalation anaesthetic is used in an induction chamber to minimise stress. Pangolins also do not feed in captivity at all and therefore have to be tube-fed under anaesthetic if they aren’t meeting their intake requirements. There is a very fine margin between a hungry animal that will try to forage and feed properly and one with a negative energy balance that then won’t heal or recover from whatever ailments are present. Most of the confiscations come in dehydrated and emaciated so prompt diagnostics and correct treatment is of utmost importance. Finding a vein is nearly impossible in any other species in this condition but even more difficult in pangolins as your options of viable veins to use are also limited to the coccygeal vein as well as the cephalic vein in really compromised animals. The cephalic and saphenous veins are a bit more challenging as the IV lines often get pulled out as soon as the animal is healthy enough to start moving around more and will also get severed by their sharp scales. In my opinion, the golden rule is if any abnormality is picked up, it needs to be thoroughly investigated without any delay as the slightest problem can cause huge complications given the nature of these animals and the challenges one faces in terms of treatment options. An apparent healthy animal can die very easily if the attention to detail is not there. What are the most common conditions in a confiscated animal? Pangolins are very prone to stress-related conditions. Pneumonia and pancreatitis, associated with refeeding syndrome, are among the very common conditions that should be detected and treated as early as possible. Pangolins are natural carriers of Babesia and very often when these animals are compromised they develop clinical disease. Pangolins with clinical babesiosis often present with similar clinical signs that one would find in canines and felines but can also be very non-specific and often “poor-doers” actually recover and improve dramatically after treatment with anti-babesial drugs. Pangolins are also incredibly prone to forming bonds with specific individuals and this can have a huge impact on the level of stress that an animal experiences as well as the subsequent behaviour and recovery of these animals. What happens to pangolins after they have been stabilised? Pangolins cannot be hard-released. It does not work. As soon as the animal is out of danger they are taken on walks to get them to feed on their own. Here the different personalities come in again. Some animals will feed easily but again the balance has to be kept that they still have an appetite and have the need to feed but have enough energy to do it. Some days an animal will come across an active termite mound or nest of ants and gorge himself, and another day walk right over it and pay no attention. Pangolins are incredibly picky in terms of what species of ants or termites they prefer depending on the region they originate from and what vegetation they are accustomed to. During treatment and rehabilitation, pangolins are never woken to go for a walk, the walker has to accommodate the animal. They are weighed before and after the walk to monitor and measure certain values such as the amount of food consumed, weight of defecation and/or urination and in doing so one gets a good idea of the efficiency of their feeding. Is there advice to a Veterinarian presented with a pangolin? The best advice is to get hold of a specialist as soon as possible so that they can assist with the stabilisation and assessment process. Hereafter, it is in the animal’s best interests to be moved to a practice with the knowledge, infrastructure and protocols in place to give the animal the best chance of survival. You never feel completely confident until the successful release has taken place, and even after that you still worry a little. >>> 8 Leading Article
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