The Odisha Forest and Environment Department has completed its first-ever radio-tagging of the Indian pangolin in an attempt to standardise the rehabilitation protocol for the animal in the State.
The forest department said a male pangolin, which was rescued by the Paralakhemundi Forest Division last month, was radio-tagged and released in the Nandankanan Wildlife Sanctuary after treatment. The department said the animal would be tracked using a Yagi antenna and receiver.
“To standardise the rehabilitation protocol for such rescued animals, a radio-tagged Indian pangolin was released into the wild in Nandankanan Wildlife Sanctuary following soft release protocols and provision for post-release monitoring,” the department said.
Month-long quarantine
The animal was screened for parasites and diseases during a month-long quarantine at the Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP), which is the only conservation breeding centre for Indian pangolins in the world.
The centre was established in 2009 to standardise the protocol for housing and husbandry of the endangered species. The centre has so far bred 10 animals in captivity, the department said.
“The pangolin was found suitable for release in the wild. It gained 780 grams during quarantine and now weighs 14.740 kg. It is exhibiting normal behaviour. It is fitted with a VHF [very high frequency] radio transmitter, weighing 0.5% of its body weight, procured from advanced telemetry systems specialised in radio telemetry instruments,” an NZP official said.
After Madhya Pradesh, Odisha is the second State in the country to release a radio-tagged Indian pangolin into the wild. NZP authorities said the exercise was expected to reveal valuable information on the ecology, dispersal pattern, home range and survival of the reclusive animal.
“Most of what is known of the ecology and behaviour of the species has come out of research carried out at the centre,” the forest department said.
Pangolins are the most illegally traded mammals in the world and the Indian pangolin is the largest among eight pangolin species. The nocturnal animal lives in burrows and feed on ants and termites.
In Odisha, seizures of pangolins and their scales have been made over the past few years. However, information is limited on their rehabilitation protocol.
