Project: Scales of Survival – Project Pangolin, Malawi
2025 Project Partner: Lilongwe Wildlife Trust (LWT)
Pangolins are the most trafficked mammals in the world, targeted for their scales and meat. In Malawi, illegal trade poses an increasing threat, but dedicated efforts led by the Lilongwe Wildlife Trust (LWT) are offering these shy, endangered animals a lifeline through rescue, rehabilitation, and legal protection. Find out more about LWT.
Donate or Set up a Fundraising Page to support this project here.
About Lilongwe Wildlife Trust
Lilongwe Wildlife Trust (LWT) is Malawi’s leading conservation NGO and the country’s only provider of national wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and field veterinary services.
Through its award-winning Lilongwe Wildlife Centre (LWC) – Malawi’s only wildlife sanctuary – LWT cares for around 200 animals on any given day. Their services also support wider conservation initiatives, from wildlife translocations and endangered species action plans to national park strategies and anti-trafficking work.
In 2023, LWC received the GFAS ‘Outstanding International Sanctuary’ award in recognition of its exceptional standards of care and commitment to wildlife conservation.
Pangolins
There are eight species of pangolin worldwide – four in Africa and four in Asia. The African species include:
Ground Pangolin (Temminck’s Pangolin)
White-bellied Pangolin
Black-bellied Pangolin
Giant Pangolin
Over one million pangolins are estimated to have been poached since 2000, largely for their meat and scales – the latter believed (without scientific evidence) to have medicinal properties in countries like China and Vietnam.
In Malawi, pangolin-related arrests almost doubled during the pandemic in 2020, reflecting the escalating threat of illegal trade.
Since 2016, all eight species have been listed under CITES Appendix I, banning all commercial international trade.
Project Pangolin Overview
LWT’s pangolin programme takes a holistic approach to conservation, focusing on:
Rescue, rehabilitation, and release of pangolins confiscated from traffickers.
Post-release monitoring with VHF and satellite tags to ensure survival and collect critical ecological data.
Research on pangolin populations, health, and blood-borne parasites that impact survival rates.
Legal support for wildlife crime prosecutions, strengthening case files and promoting deterrent sentencing.
This work is aligned with Malawi’s Pangolin Conservation Action Plan, co-developed by LWT and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife, ensuring a coordinated national response.
Project Pangolin Activities
1. Emergency Rescue and Veterinary Care
Pangolins rescued from traffickers often arrive severely malnourished, dehydrated, and stressed. Immediate veterinary care is essential and includes fluid therapy, assisted feeding, wound care, antibiotics, and surgical intervention where necessary.
2. Rehabilitation
Given their highly specialised diet and fragile nature, pangolin rehabilitation is both complex and resource-intensive. Staff spend hours foraging for ants and termites to ensure adequate food intake. Orphaned pangolin pups require around-the-clock care. A secondary rehabilitation site provides a natural environment for recovery, while a small intake hub supports research and long-term conservation planning.
3. Release and Post-Release Monitoring
Rehabilitated pangolins are fitted with unique ID markers and VHF or satellite tags to track their movements. This enables rangers to intervene if animals face threats and helps create home-range maps that will inform Malawi’s first pangolin population assessment.
4. Court Monitoring and Prosecution Support
LWT’s conservation justice team strengthens wildlife crime cases by working with prosecutors, monitoring trials, and ensuring robust case files, promoting fair and deterrent sentencing.
Context and Trends
In 2021, pangolin-related court cases in Malawi exceeded those for ivory for the first time. However, recent data shows that confiscations and arrests have started to decline through 2023 and 2024.
This may indicate that Malawi’s strong enforcement efforts are beginning to have a deterrent effect, although traffickers may also be concealing their operations more effectively. LWT continues to monitor these trends closely.
Project Pangolin Support
Funds raised for this project will support LWT’s pangolin conservation work in the following specific areas:
Research and monitoring equipment (e.g, tracking tags).
Veterinary supplies for emergency care and rehabilitation.
Maintenance of pangolin care facilities both at LWC and at the secondary rehabilitation site.
Any surplus funds will support stipends for rangers responsible for pangolin welfare during their rehabiliation and release to the wild, or, if pangolin intakes remain low, towards the rehabilitation of other rescued species during the partnership period.
Looking Ahead
By supporting this project, you are helping to fund :
Rehabilitation and release of pangolins rescued from the illegal wildlife trade in Malawi.
Critical research and population monitoring.
Together, we can support LWT in Malawi so they can give pangolins a chance of survival and ensure these extraordinary animals remain part of Africa’s wild future.
Images courtesy of LWT, with special thanks to photographers Marcus Westberg, Kondwani Jere and Jonas Strahberger.
Biodiversity monitoring. Image: Marcus Westberg
Foraging for ants. Image: Jonas Strahberger
Pangolins often arrive at LWC malnourished, dehydrated, and stressed.
Around-the-clock care is provided by LWT
Specialist care gives pangolins the best chance of getting back to the wild. Image: Jonas Strahberger
LWC is located in a beautiful area of forest. Image: Kondwani Jere
Checking camera traps. Image: Marcus Westberg