Pangolin baby & mom night out: Cutest endangered duo spotted on Singapore street

SINGAPORE: A critically endangered animal, the pangolin, and her baby were sighted recently and captured in a 15-second video clip by a Singaporean Redditor, u/prolix_verbosity, on Jan 9.

A mother pangolin was shown in the video strolling through the streets while her young one was clinging to its lengthy tail. Typically, this behaviour is seen when a mother pangolin forages insects.

A cute pangolin and her baby 🙂
byu/prolix_verbosity insingapore

Most pangolins give birth to a single offspring after reaching maturity at two years old. However, Asian species have been known to produce two or three young.

Astonished by this rare sighting, several SG Redditors shared their excitement in the comments section.

“Oh wow! That’s so great and rare to see! I hope one day to come across a couple, have never seen one in the wild. I’ve seen mouse deer though. I’d probably have to stay up super late and just wait, wait,” one Redditor wrote.

Another Redditor said that the person must have had incredible luck to have seen the pangolins in person, “It’s quite rare to actually see one in the wild. You must have pretty amazing luck.”

Yet another Redditor urged the user to report his encounter to the Singapore Pangolin Working Group.

“Great sighting! Hopefully they managed to return to the forest safely. Do share details of your encounter with the Singapore Pangolin Working Group. This provides valuable data on pangolin distribution and population numbers in Singapore, and all information is kept strictly confidential.”

Sunda Pangolins in Singapore

Although Sunda pangolins have a similar appearance to reptiles, they are shy, nocturnal, scaly anteaters. These solitary mammals are primarily found in Bukit Timah and Central Catchment Nature Reserves.

Additionally, they can be found on Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong islands, as well as in forested areas in Bukit Batok and the Western Catchment Area.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the Sunda pangolin as “critically endangered” worldwide; only about 1,046 of these mammal species remain in Singapore. 

Currently, the primary threat to Sunda pangolins in the country’s highly urbanized landscape appears to be the reduction of habitat and roadkill incidents since wildlife trafficking laws have been in place since the late 1990s.

Where to report your pangolin sightings

If you ever come across pangolins, you can report your sightings to the Singapore Pangolin Working Group by completing the ‘Record a Pangolin’ form, indicating the details of your sightings.