Wildlife · Nepal
Pangolin in Nepal
Critically endangered, scaly ant-eaters and the world's most trafficked mammal — Nepal's two pangolin species.
The pangolin is one of the strangest and most imperilled animals in Nepal — a shy, scale-covered, ant-eating mammal that rolls into an armoured ball when threatened, and the most heavily trafficked wild mammal on the planet. Nepal is home to two species, the Chinese pangolin of the mid-hills and the Indian pangolin of the lowlands, both pushed toward extinction by relentless poaching for their scales and meat.
Description
A pangolin looks like no other mammal, its body and tail armoured in overlapping brown keratin scales that act as flexible body armour. It has a small, pointed head, no teeth, powerful curved claws for digging, and an extraordinarily long, sticky tongue for harvesting ants and termites. When alarmed it curls into a tight ball, scales out, which deters most predators but, tragically, makes it easy for poachers to pick up. Pangolins are largely nocturnal, slow-moving and solitary.
Where it lives in Nepal
Nepal has two species. The Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) ranges widely through the mid-hills, including forested districts around the Kathmandu Valley and the eastern and central hills, while the Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) occurs mainly in the lowland Terai. Both shelter in burrows and feed in forest, scrub and farmland edges. They have been recorded in and around several protected areas, but because they are nocturnal and secretive they are almost never seen; their presence is usually known from burrows, tracks and, sadly, seizures of trafficked scales. For background on the parks and conservation framework, see Nepal's national parks and wildlife.
Conservation status
The Chinese pangolin is Critically Endangered and the Indian pangolin is Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and both are strictly protected under Nepali law and international trade bans. The overwhelming threat is poaching and trafficking: pangolins are killed for their scales, used in traditional medicine, and for meat, with demand driving severe declines across Asia. Habitat loss, the digging out of burrows and accidental killing add further pressure. Nepal has stepped up enforcement and community-based monitoring, and local "pangolin guardian" schemes in some hill districts now help protect burrows and report poaching.
Behaviour and ecology
Pangolins are specialist insectivores, feeding almost entirely on ants and termites that they reach by tearing open nests and mounds with their claws and lapping up with their long tongue. A single pangolin can eat enormous numbers of insects, making it a natural pest controller that helps keep forest and farmland ecosystems in balance. They dig deep burrows for shelter and breeding, and the Chinese pangolin can also climb. Mothers carry their single young on the base of the tail. As quiet, burrowing forest animals, pangolins share the mid-hill woodlands with the red panda, the elusive clouded leopard and, higher up, the Himalayan musk deer.
How to help
You are very unlikely to see a wild pangolin, and that secrecy is part of why it survives at all. The most important thing travellers can do is never buy pangolin scales, meat or any wildlife product, report any suspected trafficking, and support the community conservation groups protecting them. To see how this remarkable, armoured mammal fits among Nepal's most threatened species, explore the full endangered and iconic wildlife of Nepal collection.
Frequently asked questions
Which pangolin species live in Nepal?+
Nepal is home to two pangolin species: the Chinese pangolin, found across the mid-hills, and the Indian pangolin, found mainly in the lowland Terai. The Chinese pangolin is the more widespread of the two in Nepal.
What is the conservation status of pangolins in Nepal?+
The Chinese pangolin is listed as Critically Endangered and the Indian pangolin as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Both are strictly protected in Nepal, where poaching for scales and meat is the gravest threat.
Why are pangolins so heavily trafficked?+
Pangolins are the world's most trafficked wild mammals, hunted for their keratin scales used in traditional medicine and for their meat. High demand and weak deterrents have driven dramatic declines across Asia, including in Nepal.
What do pangolins eat?+
Pangolins are specialised insectivores that feed almost entirely on ants and termites, which they lap up with an extremely long, sticky tongue after tearing open nests and mounds with their strong claws.
