They are one of Singapore's rarest animals, favouring forested areas and moving around only under the cloak of night.
But Sunda pangolins have been spotted in unusual places in recent years, including a busy university campus and even the streets of Katong.
Now, a first-of-its-kind study has shown that these incidents do not just make up the occasional sighting. There has indeed been an upward trend of this critically endangered mammal venturing out of the Republic's forests over the years - and winding up in need of rescue or as roadkill.
Between 1996 and 2021, 316 dead or injured pangolins were recorded islandwide, almost double the 166 healthy ones sighted, found the new study initiated by the Nature Society Singapore (NSS).
The NSS is part of the Singapore Pangolin Working Group, which aims to further pangolin research and conservation. Its member organisations include the National University of Singapore's Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, wildlife rescue group Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres), Mandai Wildlife Group and the National Parks Board (NParks).
This study, which maps out where the animals have been sighted, rescued or found dead over the 25-year-period, identified pangolin "hot spots", which could pave the way for better protection of these threatened creatures.
It was published in the scientific journal, Oryx - The International Journal of Conservation, on Sept 16.
A total of 482 records were analysed from the records of the working group's organisations, such as Mandai Wildlife Group and Acres, as well as from news reports and social media.
Esta historia es de la edición September 21, 2024 de The Straits Times.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición September 21, 2024 de The Straits Times.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
A layered narrative of Singapore and the Malay community in the 1960s and 1970s
NEVERNESS By Fairoz Ahmad Fiction/Ethos Books/Paperback/ 226 pages/$24
HIT THE RAILS ON A BIKE
It is always a thrill to pull out of a train station and feel yourself picking up speed, wheels click-clacking over the rails.
From drugs, jail and bankruptcy to social enterprise cafe for ex-offenders
Drugs. Bankruptcy. Failed marriages. And prison. But Mr Matthew Poh is not letting his past define him.
Small Rain finds great intimacy amid medical isolation
How has the Covid-19 pandemic shaped literary fiction? American novelist Garth Greenwell's turn from two erotically charged novels set in Bulgaria to his latest – a pandemic novel set in the sexless emergency ward of an Iowa hospital – offers answers.
Grab Singapore's managing director listens to audiobooks
Mr Yee Wee Tang, 48, managing director of Grab Singapore, recently announced that the company has upgraded its Grab Benefits 2.0 programme and will spend $4 million a year on welfare for drivers and delivery workers who use the platform.
Japanese author inspired by external environs
Ko Shinjo is behind the novel that inspired Netflix hit Tokyo Swindlers
Gen Z couples say no to hawker centre first dates
In the light of a Bumble survey, The Sunday Times speaks to four couples to find out how dating etiquette has evolved over the years
Let's Talk About Death Who will care for my sister when I die?
Let's Talk About Death is a five-episode docuseries that follows several millennials and their loved ones as they navigate end-of-life planning, and seeks to kick-start honest conversations about death and dying well.
Maeder, kitefoiling get sweet Yeo's bundle deal
An already momentous year for Singapore's kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder got even better on Nov 9, when local food and beverage company Yeo Hiap Seng (Yeo's) extended their sponsorship deal by another four years from 2025 to 2028.
CAVENDISH'S FINAL RACE
Legend confirms that S'pore Criterium is his swansong - and he wants to claim it