Consider for one moment the unlikely existence of the pangolin.
The world's only scaly mammal looks like an armadillo but has more in common genetically with a dog. It has no teeth, poor eyesight, and its tongue, attached to a point near its pelvis, is longer than its body. It has four legs but shuffles along on its back two. So peculiar is its appearance, it has not one but two less-thanflattering nicknames: 'walking pinecone' and 'artichoke with a tail'. People of a certain age will note its resemblance to a Clanger.
Appearing 85 million years ago - when the North American continent nudged against Europe, and Antarctica had yet to break from Australia and make its journey south - the first of its kind shared the world with T-Rexes, velociraptors and flying reptiles the size of fighter jets. It had been around for 15 million years when the first primates swung from the trees, and for more than 84 million years before a species resembling modern humankind came along. It survived several ice ages and the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs.
When it comes to clinging on in the face of adversity, then, the pangolin is the OG.
Which is just as well, given the new entry to its biography: it's the world's most heavily trafficked animal, with the continued existence of its eight species hanging in the balance.
Working to ensure the mammal gets to amble through another few million years is Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province. Owned by the &Beyond travel company, Phinda (meaning 'the return' in Zulu) runs a unique pangolin reintroduction programme, taking animals rescued from poachers across Africa and destined for the black market in Asia. It lifts the veil on the project by allowing small numbers of visitors to join researchers tracking the animals once they're settled - and I have come with the specific hope of spotting one.
Denne historien er fra January/February 2025-utgaven av National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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Denne historien er fra January/February 2025-utgaven av National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Dianne Whelan
THOUGH NOT A SEASONED HIKER TO BEGIN WITH, THE FILMMAKER BECAME THE FIRST PERSON TO COMPLETE THE WORLD'S LONGEST TRAIL NETWORK
NIGERIA
The country's many communities come together over hearty meals with plenty of heat
Katie Hale
A VOYAGE TO THE GREAT WHITE CONTINENT IS BOTH A DREAM COME TRUE AND A CALL TO ARMS, TO PROTECT OUR ICY POLES AND, IN TURN, OUR PLANET
WILTSHIRE
BEYOND THE MAIN ATTRACTION OF STONEHENGE, WILTSHIRE HAS EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE ANCIENT SITES, GIANT CHALK HORSES AND COSY PUBS IN HISTORIC VILLAGES
BATH
Thermal baths and Regency heritage have put this Somerset city firmly on the travel map - and this year the spotlight will be on former resident and literary great Jane Austen, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of her birth
GRANADA
In this Andalucian city, flamenco is an art form as well as a way of life not just for traditional dancers and singers but also for hip-hop stars, classical guitar legends and street artists
India's Golden Triangle
LINKING DELHI, THE TAJ MAHAL AND THE PINK CITY OF JAIPUR, WITH DETOURS FOR TEMPLES AND TIGERS, THIS IS THE PERFECT ROUTE FOR FIRST-TIMERS. WORDS: POOJA NAIK
FORGED BY FIRE
A SUBTROPICAL ISLAND IN THE ATLANTIC, MADEIRA HAS RUGGED VOLCANIC MOUNTAINS THAT RISE ABOVE THE CLOUDS, NATURAL SWIMMING POOLS DOWN AT SEA LEVEL AND MORE THAN 1,900 MILES OF HISTORIC AQUEDUCTS TRACING THE LANDSCAPES IN BETWEEN
ADRIFT IN THE ARCTIC CIRCLE
A KAYAKING EXPEDITION THROUGH NORWAY'S LOFOTEN ISLANDS OFFERS WHITE-SAND BEACHES, ROYAL ENCOUNTERS AND THE CHANCE TO CHANNEL YOUR INNER VIKING
the RETURN
ON A PRIVATE GAME RESERVE IN SOUTH AFRICA'S KWAZULU-NATAL PROVINCE, AN UNLIKELY CREATURE IS MAKING A TENTATIVE COMEBACK - AND VISITORS ARE OFFERED A GLIMPSE INTO THE CONSERVATION EFFORTS TO SAVE IT AND OTHER NATIVE WILDLIFE
