Manis crassicaudata

Ahmad, Tariq & Li, Bo, 2024, Drivers of Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) mortality in Central and Western Pakistan, Mammalia 88 (5), pp. 407-417 : 409-414

3.1 Number of pangolins that were killed from 2019 to 2020

Only four districts from KPK were selected because KPK wildlife department told us about security threats in some other districts where pangolin exist while from Punjab four districts were selected because data from each province was compared. A sum of 179 Indian pangolin were killed in four districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa between 2019 and 2022. The highest number of pangolins were killed in Nowshera (49), followed by Peshawar (48), Kohat (47), and Mardan (35). The illegal killing/poaching of Indian pangolin in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province was alarming. In the four districts of Punjab 59 Indian pangolins were killed from 2019 to 2022. The highest number of Indian pangolins were killed in district Rawalpindi (18), followed by Jhelum (16), Chakwal (14), and Attock (11) (Table 1, Figure 2 ).

3.2 Causes of mortality of Indian pangolin in four districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab

Eight factors were responsible for the mortality of Indian pangolin. Killing Indian pangolins for illegal trade was the major issue in both Provinces, however the other factors are also involved in mortality. During field visits we collected Indian pangolins that were killed. After complete examination ticks were found among the scales. Ticks were identified as Amblyomma javanense by an entomologist ( Plate 1 ). These ticks were further compared with the study of Jabin et al. (2019) who worked on identification of the tick. Pangolins with ticks were very weak and did not move properly. We hope this study will provide chances to biologists working on pangolins around the world to recognize ticks and associated ectoparasites to better respond to the vector-borne/ticks diseases. The other factors are also involved in mortality but their ratios were very low (Tables 2 and 3).

3.3 Principal component analysis

3.3.1 Variable contributions

Killing for illegal trade has negative loadings across all four principal components, suggesting it generally moves in the opposite direction of these components. It has the strongest negative influence on PC3. Mites and ticks has a strong positive loading on PC1, indicating it is positively correlated with this component. For the other components, its influence is reduced and more neutral. Myth has a strong negative loading on PC1 and a slight positive influence on PC2 and PC3. Accident influences PC1 and PC2 negatively but has a minimal influence on PC3 and PC4. Natural mortality shows a positive relationship with PC1 and a strong positive influence on PC3. Notably, it has a strong negative loading on PC4. Flood: positively influencing PC1 and has a significant positive loading on PC4. Its influence on PC2 and PC3 is neutral. Human settlement positively influences PC1 and has a slightly influences negatively on PC2. Agriculture practices has the most pronounced negative influence on PC2 and a strong positive influence on PC3 ( Table 4 , Figures 3 and 4 ).

3.3.2 Public perception about how to control the mortality rate of Indian pangolin

Data from local community were collected using 340 questionnaires; were filled; 160 from Punjab and 180 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while 275 people were interviewed. According to them, 33 % of the mortality of Indian pangolin was caused by illegal killing followed by human settlement (17 %), agricultural practices (13 %), mites and ticks (11 %), natural mortality (8 %), accidents (7 %), removal of dead bodies from graves (6 %), and floods (5 %) ( Figure 5 ). During field visits the authors also confirmed that most of the pangolins were killed for illegal trade. Illegal trade of meat and scales has high demands in international markets.

3.3.3 Eff orts made by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Punjab District Wildlife Department

According to records of the District Wildlife Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, they arrested many people involved in the illegal killing of Indian pangolin (n = 140), during 2019 – 2022. The highest fines were imposed by the Chakwal Wildlife Department 71 – 214 USD with an imprisonment sentence of 1 – 4 months, while the lowest as imposed by the Nowshera Wildlife Department as 35 – 54 USD and an imprisonment sentence of one to 2 months. The detailed records obtained from Wildlife Departments are mentioned in Table 5.

3.3.4 Social media as a tool of collecting information about mortality and causes of mortality of Indian pangolin

In different social media accounts, most of the information was taken from Facebook (n = 37, 53 %), followed by Instagram (n = 16, 22 %), WhatsApp (n = 12, 17 %) and OLX (n = 7, 10 %, Figure 6 ). OLX was mostly used for selling and buying Indian pangolins. Poachers uploaded the dead or live pangolin pictures for selling it. Pictures of Indian pangolin that were killed or rescued are shown in Plate 2 .

3.3.5 Incidence of injury/kill to male and female pangolins

The current results showed that during the incidents mostly male Indian pangolins were killed. We obtained 8 Indian pangolins from the field, 6 were male and two were females (one pregnant). The male/female ratio was 75:25 ( Figure 7 ).

3.3.6 Myth about the scales of Indian pangolin

During the study period, we also found that villagers often collected the scales of Indian pangolins to use as necklaces for themselves and their livestock, believing that pangolin scales protect them from evil eyes (Table 6).

Figures

Plate 1: Microscopic picture of Amblyomma javanense that were present in the scales of Indian pangolin.

Figure 2: Detailed number of killed Indian pangolins in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.

Plate 2: (A-D) showing the different Indian pangolins rescued from the study area.

Figure 3: PCA plot showing factors that are responsible for the mortality of Indian pangolin in Punjab.

Figure 4: PCA plot showing factors that are responsible for the mortality of Indian pangolin in KP.

Figure 5: Perception of the local community to control the mortality rate of Indian pangolin.

Figure 6: Details of social media accounts that were used to collect information about Indian pangolin.

Figure 7: Incidence of male and female Indian pangolins.