Context: Recently, Odisha Forest and Environment Department has completed its first-ever radio-tagging of the Indian pangolin in an attempt to standardize the rehabilitation protocol for the animal in the State.
Need of radio-tagging

• The radio-tagging aims to know its ecology and develop an effective conservation plan for it.
• The radio-tagging is part of a joint project by the department and non-profit, the Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT) that also involves the species’ monitoring apart from other activities.

Pangolin: They are scaly anteater mammals of the order Pholidota.

Characteristics

• They have large, protective keratin scales covering their skin and they are the only known mammals with this feature.
• If under threat, a pangolin will immediately curl into a tight ball and will use their sharp-scaled tails to defend themselves.
• They are nocturnal animals and their diet consists of mainly ants and termites which they capture using their long tongues.
• They tend to be solitary animals meeting only to mate and produce a litter of one to three offspring which they raise for about two years.

Pangolins in India: Out of the eight species of pangolin, the Indian Pangolin and the Chinese Pangolin are found in India:

Indian Pangolin

• Indian Pangolin is a large ant eater covered by 11-13 rows of scales on the back.A terminal scale is also present on the lower side of the tail of the Indian Pangolin, which is absent in the Chinese Pangolin.
• The species is understood to occur in various types of tropical forests as well as open land, grasslands and degraded habitats, including in close proximity to villages.
• Indian Pangolin is widely distributed in India, except the arid region, high Himalayas and the North-East.It can be found at elevation up to 2500 m.The species also occurs in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
• IUCN Status: Endangered
• Wildlife Protection Act,1972: Under Schedule I of WPA, 1972

Chinese Pangolin

• It is found in the Himalayan foothills in Eastern Nepal, Bhutan, Northern India, North-East Bangladesh and through Southern China.
• It is adaptable to a wide range of habitats including primary and secondary tropical forests, limestone and bamboo forests, grasslands and agricultural fields.
• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• Wildlife Protection Act,1972: Schedule I

Threats

• Trafficking of live pangolin and its scales is a highly lucrative business for organised mafia who exploit poor and vulnerable forest dwelling communities for their criminal interests.
• Hunting and poaching for local consumptive use (e.g. as a protein source and traditional medicine) and international trade, for its meat and scales.
• Heavy Deforestation of their Habitat.