BANGKOK: A severely injured female pangolin has been rescued after trying to escape a wildfire in Tham Pla–Namtok Pha Suea National Park in Mae Hong Son province.
Chaichan Sriyong, director of Protected Area Regional Administration Office 16, Mae Sariang branch, said on Saturday (April 25) that wildfires in the national park had caused widespread damage to ecosystems and wildlife, especially animals unable to flee the area in time.
At 9.15am, while a wildfire suppression team from Tham Pla–Namtok Pha Suea National Park was working to extinguish a blaze west of Wat Pa Tham Wua, officers found a female pangolin in a distressing condition.
The animal was lying weak and gasping for breath, sheltering from the heat inside a tree hollow after being surrounded by flames and unable to escape.
An initial examination found serious injuries. The scales along the middle of its back were broken and deformed, while part of its tail was missing, as if it had been cut by a sharp object.
Officials said the wounds appeared to have been caused by both human action and the spreading wildfire.
After the rescue, officers immediately transferred the pangolin to specialists at Pang Tong Wildlife Breeding Station, which serves as both a hospital and a safe shelter for displaced wild animals.
Veterinarians carried out a detailed examination, cleaned the wounds to prevent infection, and monitored the animal for shock and prolonged stress. Officials also prepared an environment as close to nature as possible so the pangolin would feel safe.
Once it is out of danger and has completed physical rehabilitation, officials will assess whether it can be released back into a safe natural forest area.
Chaichan said wildfires not only destroyed forest land, but also amounted to the “indirect killing of wildlife”, especially slow-moving animals such as pangolins, which often cannot escape in time and are forced to suffer tragic consequences.
“If officers had not reached it in time, we would have lost another life in a deeply regrettable way,” he said.
Authorities urged the public to stop all forest burning, warning that a single careless act could mean taking the life of another living creature forever.
Anyone who finds injured wildlife or has information about forest burning can call the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation hotline at 1362, available 24 hours a day, to help protect the last breaths of Thailand’s wildlife. - The Nation/ANN
