Two pangolins found dead near Bukit Timah in ‘heartbreaking’ accident
On 15 Jan, two pangolins were found dead along Kheam Hock Road in the Bukit Timah area.
In one of the images posted to the Singapore Wildlife Sightings Facebook page, both pangolins lie motionless by the roadside, with a visible pool of blood beside the bigger pangolin.
Source: Singapore Wildlife Sightings on Facebook
The passerby who came across the pair shared that he moved them to a safer area to prevent further damage to their carcasses.
“What a sad and heartbreaking morning,” he wrote.
“Dear motorists… especially on roads running between forested areas, please drive slower than the legal speed limit so as to give our wildlife a fighting chance.”
The pangolins were believed to be a mother and child.
ACRES issues statement, disheartened by incident
In a statement to MS News, ACRES confirmed that they were alerted to the Sunda Pangolin carcasses on the morning of 15 Jan.
It noted that the accident site was close to green spaces such as Bukit Brown Cemetery and the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.
Photo courtesy of ACRES
ACRES added that it was “disheartening” to begin the year with more wildlife roadkill, especially involving critically endangered pangolins.
“It is even more tragic that the individuals were likely a juvenile and its mother,” ACRES noted.
It called for more to be done to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions in Singapore.
Innovative mitigation measures, greater awareness of roadkill hotspots, and collaboration among stakeholders can all play a role in preventing such incidents.
“Crucially, the preservation of our remaining green spaces — not only nature reserves — is essential for the survival of our wildlife and biodiversity,” said ACRES.
Roads and trafficking plague Sunda Pangolins
According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the Sunda Pangolin is a critically endangered species.
Source: Mandai Wildlife Reserve
The Sunda pangolin is also the most heavily trafficked mammal in the illegal wildlife trade.
However, in Singapore, the main threat to the species has been road traffic accidents.
According to the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, various tracking methods including GPS and the use of sniffer dogs have been tested.
These learnings then resulted in the establishment of the Sunda Pangolin National Conservation Strategy and Action Plan in 2018.
Roadkill remains a significant issue for many animals in Singapore, as urbanisation has forced more animals to cross roads in order to move between fragmented habitats.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Singapore Wildlife Sightings on Facebook.
