A giant pangolin has been fitted with tracking devices in an attempt to help protect the little-known species in the wild.
The female pangolin was tagged on March 25 and has been tracked for eight weeks in Uganda by a team researching the animals in an attempt to develop strategies to protect them.
The pangolin, tagged by Chester Zoo’s research team and Rhino Fund Uganda rangers, was nicknamed Sungura Mwezi, meaning “Rabbit Moon” in Swahili.
Naomi Matthews, Chester Zoo’s giant pangolin field manager, said: “It is incredibly special to be able to track an animal which is so elusive that very few people are ever lucky enough to see one.
“The experience of catching her to fit the devices was momentous.”
Despite being protected by international wildlife laws that ban their trade, pangolins are the most illegally trafficked group of mammals in the world, targeted both for their meat and scales.
