Shepherds' advice leads to first-of-its-kind mammal sighting in India. See it
Near an agricultural area in western India, a scaly mammal went about its night, likely searching for food or water. Unbeknownst to it, a nearby trail camera documented its passing.
The encounter turned out to be a first-of-its-kind sighting for the area.
A team of scientists set out 'inventory the mammal community and its diversity patterns across the Rajkot District of Gujarat' using trail cameras, according to a study published May 26 in the peer-reviewed Journal of Threatened Taxa.
As part of the project, researchers set up a pair of trail cameras near a specific hill chosen based on 'local knowledge provided by shepherds who routinely bring their livestock to a nearby water source,' the study said.
Sure enough, one of the cameras photographed and 'successfully documented the presence of a pangolin' — the district's 'first observation of (an) Indian pangolin,' researchers said.
The photo, taken in July 2024, shows the scaly back of the pangolin and a portion of its tail.
Pangolins are considered the world's most trafficked mammal. Found in Asia and Africa, 'all pangolin species have experienced a drastic decline in populations, primarily because of hunting and illegal international trade,' the study said.
Indian pangolins, an endangered species 'widely distributed throughout much of' India, are 'often killed due to the belief that they dig up graves and pull out the buried dead bodies' or because farmers believe the animals are 'damaging their crops,' researchers said.
Generally, pangolins are shy and elusive animals, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
The pangolin seen in Rajkot District, Gujarat, 'indicates the possibility of the persistence of the population in the region,' the study said. Researchers suggested further surveys of the animal, its distribution and its preferred habitats.
Rajkot District is in central Gujarat, the westernmost state in India and along the border with Pakistan.
The research team included Aum Agravat, Vikram Aditya, Shreya Pandey, Bhavin Patel, Rushi Pathak and Aurobindo Samal.
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