Follow the Pangolin Path this Pangolin Day!

Learn these and other facts as you follow the pangolin path through Chester Zoo on World Pangolin Day on February 15.

Track down quiz clues, pin the tongue on the pangolin and get creative with colouring at our World Pangolin Day stall, which will be situated in the Dragons In Danger habitat from 10am to 2pm.

There are currently eight recognised species of pangolin, a uniquely scaled mammal that can be found across Africa and Asia.

All are under threat from habitat loss, climate change and poaching.

There are no pangolins living at Chester Zoo, but we are still working to protect them in the wild.

Our Africa Field Programme Team is in the midst of a major project in Uganda to learn more about the elusive Giant Pangolin.

Naomi Matthews, Africa Biomonitoring Manager at the zoo, said: “We’ve been conducting a nationwide conservation assessment of giant pangolins in Uganda since 2018, alongside the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

“Through our work we’ve been able determine which parts of the country are most important for pangolins, enabling us to prioritise conservation efforts in these regions.

“World Pangolin Day is a day to celebrate these amazing creatures and the work that conservationists all over the world are doing to save them.”

The data the team has already gathered through camera traps and by tracking pangolin through geotagging is being used to plan conservation efforts, and they plan to roll out these methods to pangolin populations in other countries.

We have also recently started supporting a project run by the Katala Foundation focused on the Palawan pangolin, a critically endangered species in the Philippines.

Corinne Bailey, Regional Field Programme Manager for the zoo’s South East Asian Islands programme, said: “The Palawan group of islands is among the most diverse areas in the Philippines. It is home to a unique assemblage of wildlife, found nowhere else on earth.”

Learn more about these cryptic creatures at Chester Zoo.

 The pangolin path will introduce participants to animals that share their habitats with various pangolin species, such as orangutans and rhinos.

Pangolin activities will take place on February 15. Check the event listing on Chester Zoo’s Facebook page for more details.