TIKAPUR, Oct 23: Villagers of Bhajani VDC of Kailali district recently found an endangered Indian pangolin and safely released the rare animal in the nearby forest. The locals said they were excited to see the endangered mammal in their village after a long time.

Environmentalist Bijay Shrestha said that the efforts taken by the locals to protect and conserve pangolins can increase their number.  

“Awareness among the locals can save pangolin from illegal poaching and it will also conserve their habitat,” Shrestha said.

Locally known as salak, the rare mammal is generally solitary and nocturnal in nature and lives in burrows. Pangolin is an endangered mammal protected by the National Park and Wildlife Act 2029. It is also listed as critically endangered animal by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN.)

In Nepal two species of Asian pangolin - Chinese pangolin (black salak) and Indian pangolin (red salak) are found.

 
• endangered
 
• indian
 
• pangolin
 
• found
 
• kailali