Endangered Pangolin rescued from Cox's Bazar beach

An endangered species of pangolin, weighing around four kilograms, was rescued after washing ashore on Cox's Bazar sea beach on Friday morning (15 September).

The pangolin was rescued from the Somiti Para area of the beach, Abdul Kaiyum, the manager of USAID's EcoLife Project, told The Business Standard today.

"Heavy rainfall in the past two days had caused landslides in the nearby hill of the Himchari National Park, which very likely led the pangolin to end up in the sea," Abdul Kaiyum added.

Initially, the Pangolin was found by a young man named Faysal on the Samitipara Point of the beach. Upon learning this, CPZs and Blue Guards of USAID, informed Shafiqur Rahman, the DFO of EcoLife Project.

Abdul Kaiyum further informed The Business Standard, "Following Shafiqur Rahman's instructions, the pangolin was rescued with the cooperation of the Nature Conservation Management (NECOM) and along with the support of the CPZ and Blue Guards of the EcoFish and EcoLife Project."

The project manager described the native pangolin as having a long and slender body, with a small triangular head.

"The body, including the head and back, is covered in approximately 15-18 rows of strong scales, while the belly has about 14-16 rows" he further added.

Following the rescue, the pangolin was handed over to the Forest Department at the Cox's Bazar Range Office in the South Forest Division. It is set to receive initial medical care and will be released into the Himchari National Park.