Students and teachers from National Chi Nan University have rescued a pangolin from stray dogs, and it is recovering at a local institute, but part of its tail had been chewed off.
Liu Ming-hao (劉明浩), a professor at the university in Nantou County’s Puli Township (埔里), said that a student on July 13 told him that some students had found a pangolin near the school’s sports ground after they saw two stray dogs barking and biting at something.
Liu went to the site and saw that the pangolin had sustained severe injuries. He drove the animal to the Council of Agriculture’s Endemic Species Research Institute for treatment.
Photo courtesy of National Chi Nan University professor Liu Ming-hao
Judging by its size, the female pangolin likely became independent not too long ago, Liu said.
It was lucky the students found it or it could have died of infection, he said.
The institute, based in the county’s Jiji Township (集集), will determine whether the pangolin should be released into the wild after it recovers, Liu said.
The university, located in a low mountain range, is an ideal habitat for pangolins, Liu said, adding that young pangolins usually leave their parents between May and October.
The greatest threats to young pangolins at this stage are stray dogs near and around the campus, as well as vehicle traffic, he added.
There have been multiple sightings of pangolins and some students have posted messages on school forums asking bikers to slow down when riding around the campus at night, Liu said.
He said that the school had failed to conduct a study on the location of pangolin sightings, their numbers and range of activity, adding that the school should contact experts to help conduct such a study in the coming semester.
“It would help protect pangolins and the ecology,” Liu said.
As for stray dogs on campus, Liu said people abandoning their pets remains a problem.
Because the university is an open area, strays usually venture into the campus in search of food, he said.
The school advises students not to feed strays, as it will only draw more strays to the campus, he said.
The university has animal conservation clubs that assist in spaying and neutering strays, and in some cases help them look for people interested in adopting the animals as pets, Liu added.
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