Stefanie Hot -Wild Treasures
Description
Vocal Characteristics
Language
EnglishVoice Age
Young Adult (18-35)Accents
South African (General)Transcript
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welcome to wild treasures are serious. That highlights some of South Africa's rare and endangered species on our radar today. It's a relatively unknown mammal, the penguin. The name itself means something bedrolls. Pangolins are the only mammals with scales covering them. They are eight different species off pangolins, with four living in Asia and four others in Africa. Fossil evidence suggests that pangolins might have lived in Europe at some point in time, and it's believed by scientists that they have been around for 80 years. Here in Africa, we find the long tailed pangolin, the three custard penguin giant ground penguin as well as the Cape Angolan, which is also known as a temic ground penguin. They are characterised by overlapping plate like scales made up of carrot in the same protein found in human Hey nails as well as rhino horn. They have a sticky tongue that Khun grow longer than their actual body. Large curved claws and a tail, which they use with their body to form a bore like shape when they feel threatened very in size and can weigh anything from 1.6 kilogrammes to 33 kilogrammes, with the males 10 to 50% larger than their female counterparts. They also differ in colour from light yellowish, too dark brown. They are nocturnal and highly secretive, which is why not many people know a lot about them. They are in sick divorce that mainly feed on ants and termites and can consume about 200 grammes off insects. Today, they used the tongue with aunt catching saliva to eat. They prey on will often eat small stones to help grind the food in the stomach. Their life span in the world is relatively unknown, but they are said to live as long as 20 years in captivity. The timid ground penguin is the second largest of the species, although their sizes do very with the larger ones living in moist environments. The most notable differences in pangolins in Africa and Asia is the habitat choices and the size e. Well, I think the Asian species species moved most of them a tree pangolins. Here in Africa, we've got our ground penguin, which is in the southern part, which is the ones that have worked with, and then we've got to tree species for the app in Africa, in central Africa, in West Africa. And then we've got the the very little cited giant penguin, which is sort of in the belt sort of in the Congress area. Nikki Right has worked with various animals but fell in love with this species back in 2009 when she helped rehabilitate an injured one brought to a veterinary clinic. You know, every species is unique. I think Penguin are are especially unique. You know, most people haven't seen them in the wild. Most people going into game reserves on game drives, one to see them. And it's a very difficult animal, Teo to find in the wild. So having one in the hand, you almost overwhelmed with the proximity to this sort of mythical beast that suddenly people rest in your arm for you, too. Careful. Um, I think that when they start to unroll and they start looking at you, they had this tiny little face and these bright, intelligent eyes, and they're very, very quiet and very cautious but intelligent. And that's what that's what struck me. They have a different feeling in a different aura around them to any other animal that I've worked with. Less than a decade later, she's still in love with them and has an opportunity to contribute towards the protection as project manager for the African Pangolin Working Group. I think it's just the incredible uniqueness, you know, they're the only mammal with scales, that there's such a mythical sort of a creature. It's just their uniqueness that is so incredible. My favourite characteristic off about them is, is that they're completely self contained. You know, they don't they have their own built in protection. They're very, very contained animals. On the only threat is man information on the species Behaviour has come in drips and drabs, but progress is being made. For instance, it has since been discovered that pangolins are die colonel during certain parts of the year despite being predominantly nocturnal. It would be a seasonal issue because in winter it's cold, so they need Teo. They need to film a regulate. They need to warm their bodies before they can go and forage, and before, in order to digest their food, which is ants and termites properly, their body temperature needs to be at a certain temperature, so they need to come out earlier during winter to get the warmth to be able to forage and digest their food. Sadly, these animals do get poached, and it takes a great amount of effort to rehabilitate, rescued once back to health when they come in when they confiscated, they generally are always dehydrated because don't forget they've been in the second row box or a car boot or something like that, for it could be after two weeks by the time they come down. And there they found or discovered so they will always be issues of dehydration. Sometimes they're snared, so they'll have. They have tissue injuries around the paws are on their feet around their necks. On DH, they might have penguin injuries. They might have, you know, just abrasions and bruises and that kind of thing, that actually quite sensitive skin underneath this girl. Pangolins are the most poached animals in the world, with their scales being used for traditional medicine and some hunted for bush. Meat chains off thousands off pangolins are poached every year for scales and they meet. The scales are used to make traditional Chinese and African medicine. We use them for for healing. Healing is a primary thing for you, so and when you use it for healing. It helps you find someone has your your your your your your key onto your view, your poison food poisoning. So when when they drink it, we're just gonna put it inside off the water for some time, you have to drink it according to the suppression. You just don't drink it. You have to follow these actions according to my king. Then after that, we use it also, you know, for, for, for for for For we use some of the bones when it's about to, you know, and weigh. Just using this is one of the, ah important animals. You know what cultures, especially as black people. We use it to **** when we have it. You're fortunate? Yes. According to traditional healer, See cargo Lohse. The scales, when grinded are used to strengthen our home from other forces when mixed with hers basically has said, because, you know, we are here, wear heels. Then we have a different different definition off using them. So basically, I will say I take this, Then I'm gonna put it and say, I'm going to wrap it like I'm gonna do with what you call this. Yes, well, a bigger to be fine, then someone I do someone do. Sometimes when I'm in the mood to do the same thing and I put it in the, Henson said, is a strength anymore. So if ever makes my hands and I put it in that I know that you know what this is a special committee. Currently, pangolins are listed as a painter's, too, according to the Convention on International Trade Off Endangered Species, otherwise known as sites, meaning that controlled permits are granted to certain individuals for trade purposes. WeII sauce. There's a market for traditional healers because some of us have. They don't have licence to go and hunt. So there's a market for traditional healers. Usually treat my my will find such any more. So because some guys they do have those licences. We'll go to them because we'll go and some other animals we don't know. We'll go to them that there were no teacher has. No, this is what we have to do, you know. But people must be very, very careful in terms ofthe using such anymore. Since you know I had it, it works because it needs you to have a guidance, how to use it and when to use it, and for what? Pangolins are rarely observed due to their secretive, nocturnal and solitary nature. There only me to mate with their prospective partners, with some of them living in ground tunnels as deep as 3.5 metres and others arboreal. There are very few organisations that have dedicated themselves toward the plight of these animals. One such group is the African Pangolin Working Group. Sure, the African Penguin Working Group was established in 2011 and we've only just recently been approved by the Government department Off social wealthy renal registered in Pio. It was established in 2011 by a group of conservation orientated people, not just scientists, but people concerned about our wildlife for protecting Africa's four species of penguins, which are all threatened grey and on their way to extinction of current levels continue. This particular species faces various threats, one of them being deforestation. We've got a number of challenges because the species is harvested not only by African communities, but also the international trade from Asia is a huge threat to penguins and all four species of penguins, including the one that occurs in South Africa. The timis grand penguin. So you know, to conserve the species from extinction just like any other species have the right to exist on planet Earth. We found it in an important sort of objective. To provide some sort of sounding board conservation board to look after them. And that's our primary role. Andare challenges are at this stage in South Africa is to educate the public about penguin awareness and the plot of penguins in South Africa and Africa in general and way provide a source ofthe information, news and conservation awareness just to the general public. Approaching in Africa is on an all time high, with authorities catching perpetrators with tonnes ofthe scales. So I think if we look out over the last five years, the amount of penguin poaching has increased exponentially. This year alone were in excess of 15 tonnes that's being intercepted in Asia Porter's Hong Kong that emanate from Africa from a number of countries in Africa but including South Africa. There was a shipment from Durban lost Jude in excess of two tonnes. Shipments out of Mombasa in East Africa, also four tonnes and out of the port such as Mozambique. A large amount of scales, a ship from Africa to Asia to be used in traditional Chinese medicine. Much of the focus for the African Pangolin working group has bean research and education to understand the trains when it comes to the uses and understanding the animal behaviour, we've got a number of conservation projects on the go. We do research on the bush meat trade in Penguin in West Africa and countries such a Sierra Leone and Ghana. We've had ecology projects looking at the home range of habitats, juice off penguins in the Kalahari Desert in South Africa. I've had a student which, due to be qualified with a master's degree, investigating the traditional uses off grand penguins in South Africa and importance that play in traditional customs and the South African rural communities. We've got ongoing lectures and talks that we give to the public in South Africa and we currently got proposals on the table for the societies that listing from Appendix Tutor Appendix one later this year at the Cup, 17 conferences. So the projects are numerous and we've got a lot of students time for us to take a break. When we return, we take a look at how the world plans to protect pangolins. Don't move