Five Northamptonshire schoolgirls complete sponsored walk for World Pangolin Day

Five Northamptonshire school pupils completed a sponsored walk this weekend to raise awareness and funds for the critically endangered pangolin as part of World Pangolin Day.

11-year-old Jessica Ideson from Creaton come up with the idea to complete the sponsored walk at Pitsford Reservoir. She was joined by her sister Phoebe, aged nine and their friends Maisie and Bea Deacon, from Sywell, aged 12 and 10, respectively, and Charlotte Wagstaff aged 12.

Jessica even donned a Pangolin outfit to complete the 10 kilometre circuit.

She said: “I am totally obsessed with pangolins and think it is so important to raise awareness of how critically endangered they are.

“Pangolins are very shy, beautiful and peaceful creatures. They are easily captured by poachers because when scared they roll up into a tight ball, a defence which works against other predators but not humans, who simply pick them up. Pangolins are unique because they are the only scaly mammal, yet their scales are made out of the same thing as human fingernails so there is no evidence they have the medicinal qualities the poachers think they have.

“I was horrified when I read that people in our county were selling pangolin scales. It makes it even more relevant to raise awareness.

"So many people in the UK have never even heard of a pangolin. Pangolins could go extinct before most people know about their crisis unless we act now. This is one of the reasons why I dressed up as a pangolin - so that people would be interested in what we were doing and would see what they look like.”

The walk won the support of Northamptonshire Police and PC Chloe Gillies - who last year led the county’s largest ever successful investigation into the illegal trade of endangered animals. She met the girls at the start of their trek to wish them luck and thank them for their efforts.

After meeting with PC Gillies, the Pangolin Protectors handed out leaflets and talked to other walkers about the plight of the species which is increasingly threatened due to illegal trafficking from Africa, India and South East Asia to China where their scales are mistakenly thought to be a cure all medicine and where they are eaten as a delicacy.

For last year’s World Pangolin, the girls held a protest outside a nearby library asking residents to help the endangered species.

Last September PC Gillies lead an investigation into illegal trafficking which resulted in the successful prosecution of a Corby man found to be selling and keeping endangered species for sale including Pangolin scales.

She said: “Pangolins are the most trafficked mammals in the world, but not many people have heard of the Pangolin and so that is why Jessica and her friends decided to raise awareness on World Pangolin Day of these vulnerable animals.

“It is wonderful to see young people so passionate about protecting wildlife and I am really pleased to have been invited to join them.”

The WWF says pangolins are solitary, primarily nocturnal animals, and are easily recognised by their full armour of scales.

All eight species of pangolins are found on two continents - Africa and Asia.

The girls raised £275 for the Born Free Foundation.