S'pore Sunda pangolin who underwent world's first pangolin orthopaedic surgery is recovering well

Get well soon, Berani the pangolin!

Ashley Tan | March 04, 2019, 08:18 PM

Stories of pangolins on social media often seem to be associated with 'roadkill', 'wildlife trade' or 'trafficking'.

Here's a feel-good story about pangolins to counter that.

An injured Sunda pangolin recently underwent orthopaedic surgery, believed to be the world's first for a pangolin, and is now well on his way to being rehabilitated and evaluated for release back into the wild.

First in the world

The scaly creature was one of 30 rescued in July, 2018 by Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS). He was suffering from a fractured hind femur.

This presented a particularly tough challenge. Little is known about surgical procedures on a species the International Union of Conservation for Nature (IUCN) classified as "critically endangered".

Image courtesy of WRS.

The pangolin's hard scales make surgery tricky, and its long snout and small mouth makes inserting a tube into the windpipe to aid breathing nearly impossible.

Administering anaesthesia is also tough due to the pangolin's small size.

Luckily, pangolins have a soft underbelly devoid of hard scales, allowing the WRS' veterinary team to access the fracture in the hind leg from there.

Image courtesy of WRS.

A steady recovery

The WRS team in charge of the operation decided to name him 'Berani', which means courage in Malay.

Berani went through one operation on July 14, 2018, but had to undergo a second one on July 28 after the vet team realised the implant designed to help align the bones had failed. It was then replaced with a sturdier implant.

Image courtesy of WRS.

Berani is now steadily recovering and is able to walk just fine. The vet team takes him out on regular walks to strengthen his muscles and monitor his progress.

Image courtesy of WRS.

These walks also allow the WRS team to observe Berani's behaviour up close, such as the way he moves, digs, climbs, and forages for food.

Image courtesy of WRS.

According to WRS, Berani is healing well.

Protect the pangolins

The critically endangered pangolin is one of the few mammals native to Singapore, alongside the Sambar deer and wild boar.

Sadly, these creatures are made increasingly vulnerable in Singapore due to the loss of forested areas from our rapid urbanisation.

These pangolins often wander into urban areas where they might get into accidents.

Image courtesy of WRS.

Night Safari is the first zoo to exhibit and breed pangolins under human care.

In the past decade, WRS rehabilitated 120 pangolins rescued from around Singapore.

The inspiring story of Berani's recovery has spurred WRS to launch the second edition of their Together for Wildlife 2019 campaign.

From March 2 to 31, members of the public can learn more about pangolins through games, interactions with keepers, and up-close interactions with the pangolins themselves.

You can find out more about the conservation campaign here.

Top photo from Wildlife Reserves Singapore.