Forest dept join hands with EGWS to protect pangolins from poaching in NSTR

DEEP in the heart of the Nagarjuna Sagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR), a ground-breaking research mission is underway to save the elusive and endangered Indian Pangolin (Manis crassicaudata).

- BANDHAVI ANNAM @Guntur

The Andhra Pradesh Forest Department and the Eastern Ghats Wildlife Society (EGWS) have launched an ambitious conservation project to protect one of the world's most trafficked yet mysterious mammals.

Listed on the IUCN (The International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List, the Indian Pangolin faces relentless threats from poaching, illegal trade, and habitat destruction.

The initiative aims to uncover hidden pangolin habitats across the Eastern Ghats, employ cutting-edge technology to track traffickers and challenge the myths driving the illegal trade.

Indian Pangolins are solitary, nocturnal creatures covered in large, overlapping keratin scales that act as natural armour against predators.

They use their powerful claws to dig into ant and termite mounds, which form the bulk of their diet, while their secretive, burrow-dwelling habits make them difficult to track in the wild.

"We've already found sizable pangolin populations in the Markapur and Atmakur regions," revealed Shanti Priya Pandey, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests.