Baby pangolin seen clinging to mother's tail in S'pore as it hitches a ride

It's your lucky day if you spot a Sunda pangolin, let alone two, given the rarity of the shy creature.

One cyclist managed to spot a mother and baby pair in the wee hours of the morning at an undisclosed forested area in the North of Singapore, a couple of years ago.

Sharing the rare footage to the Singapore Wildlife Sightings Facebook page on Dec. 3, 2024, user Simon Oh wrote that he had spotted the pair along the park connector network back in February 2022.

Speaking to Mothership, Oh said that it was "so exciting" to encounter the pangolins, and the mammal had been digging for food when they first caught sight of it.

The young pangopup could be seen clinging fervently to its mother's tail, as the mother quickly assessed its surroundings.

Oh added that he "initially did not know" what the animal was, and the sighting of such "a beautiful and rare creature in the wild" was a great feeling. 

Why do pangopups hang onto its mother's tail?

According to Save Pangolins, infant pangolins tend to ride on the base of the mother's tail as she forages for insects, to ensure they are always close by.

As their young are still defenceless, the mother pangolin can quickly protect them both by rolling into a ball when in danger and shield their young from predators.

The pups tend to stay with the pangolin mother for up to two years — when it is old enough to defend itself and sexually mature.

Pangolin mothers usually only give birth to one pangolin at a time — though some Asiatic species do give birth to up to three — making its sole offspring even more precious. 

Singapore's pangolin situation

The Sunda pangolin is currently earmarked as critically endangered globally.

While there have been an increase in sightings in Singapore, there is a correlation with the number of roadkills and rescues observed, found a study by the Nature Society Singapore (NSS).

https://mothership.sg/2024/09/more-sightings-of-sunda-pangolin/index.html

Both rescues and roadkill — the former of which necessarily involves some sort of injury or vulnerability — also primarily took place along the fringes of core forested areas.

Encountering a pangolin

While pangolins are shy and will not attack humans, members of the public are advised to leave pangolins alone instead of attempting to touch, chase, or corner them, which can frighten them.

If you've spotted a pangolin, you can also submit a record here to the Singapore Pangolin Working Group, and contribute to its conservation efforts. 

However, if you encounter a pangolin that appears to be in any danger, or is injured, do contact NParks or Acres.

Lastly, in the event that you witness any illegal trading or poaching, taking photographic and/or videographic evidence of the traps, snares, nets, trapped animals, poachers, and/or the vehicle license plate number will be useful in apprehending the perpetrator.

You can also call NParks' hotline at 1800-471-7300 or contact the police.

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Top image from Simon Oh