20/09/2026
Two pangolins. Five suspects. One day.
PLEASE NOT ALL PANGOLINS ARE HOUSED OFF-SITE IN A SECURE UNDISCLOSED LOCATION
That is how quickly the illegal wildlife trade can remind us that it has not gone away.
This year has thankfully been quieter for pangolin trafficking cases, but in a single day this week, our incredible teams arrested 5 suspects and rescued 2 pangolins from the illegal wildlife trade.
Meet Lotti and Denny.
Lotti is a little 8.8kg female who seems to be deeply affected by her time in captivity. She is scared, wary and understandably unsure of the people around her but she is a feisty little girl with plenty of fight left in her. She is now in rehabilitation, while still receiving ongoing treatment and close monitoring.
Denny is a big 9.9kg male and quite honestly, one of the most gentle and sweet souls. It is almost as if he knows that the hands touching him now are there to help. He arrived significantly underweight, with multiple wounds that were caused by desperate attempts to escape captivity. Despite everything he has been through, he remains unbelievably sweet and calm while receiving treatment and plenty of kindness from our hospital team.
Both of them should never have been in human hands in the first place. They should have been out in the bush, walking kilometres every night, digging for ants and termites, and simply living the quiet lives pangolins are meant to live.
But their stories did not end in a bag, a box or the back of a vehicle.
Because someone acted.
Because teams worked together.
Because arrests were made.
And because two little lives were given another chance.
There is still a long road ahead for both Lotti and Denny, and with pangolins we never take recovery for granted. But today they are safe. They are being fed, treated, monitored and shown kindness.
For Lotti and Denny, there is hope.
