Journal of Threatened
Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 June 2026 | 18(6): 29143–29145
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.10480.18.6.29143-29145
#10480 | Received 22 February 2026 | Final received 28 April 2026|
Finally accepted 02 May 2026
A photographic record of the
Chinese Pangolin Manis pentadactyla (Linnaeus,
1758) (Mammalia: Pholidota: Manidae)
from Pakyong District, Sikkim, India
Prashanti Pradhan 1,
Jampal Dorjee
Bhutia 2, Prem Kumar Chhetri 3
& Bharat Kumar Pradhan 4
¹,2 Sikkim Alpine
University, Kamrang Campus, Namchi,
Sikkim-737126, India.
1 Assam Downtown University, Panikhaiti, Guwahati, Kamrup
Metropolitan District, Assam 781026, India.
³ Forest & Environment
Department, Government of Sikkim, Deorali, Gangtok, Sikkim 737102, India.
⁴ Sikkim Biodiversity Board,
Forest & Environment Department, Government of Sikkim, Deorali,
Gangtok, Sikkim 737102, India.
1 prashpradhan27@gmail.com
(corresponding author), 2 jampaldokhampa285@gmail.com, 3 chettriprem22@gmail.com,
4 bharatprdhn@gmail.com
Editor: Bhargavi Srinivasulu,
Zoo Outreach Organisation, Hyderabad, Telangana,
India. Date of publication: 26 June 2026 (online &
print)
Citation:
Pradhan, P., J.D. Bhutia, P.K. Chhetri & B.K.
Pradhan (2026). A photographic record of the Chinese Pangolin Manis pentadactyla (Linnaeus, 1758) (Mammalia: Pholidota: Manidae) from Pakyong District, Sikkim, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 18(6): 29143–29145. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.10480.18.6.29143-29145
Copyright: © Pradhan et al. 2026. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and
distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the
author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: None.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Acknowledgments: We thank Mr. Jigmee Wangchuk Bhutia (Panchayat member) and Mrs. Sangita Ruchal (Panchayat president, Barapathing) for their cooperation and valuable local insights. We acknowledge the Barapathing Territorial Range staff, Forest & Environment Department, Government of Sikkim, for their prompt rescue and rehabilitation efforts.
Pangolins, commonly known as
“scaly anteaters”, derive their name from the Malayan phrase pengguling, meaning “rolling ball”, as they curl
into a tight ball when threatened (Atkins 2004). They are nocturnal, elusive,
solitary, non-aggressive, insectivorous mammals adapted for burrowing (Gaubert 2011). Globally, eight pangolin species are recognised, four in Africa and four in Asia. Currently, all
species are listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List (IUCN 2022).
The Chinese Pangolin Manis pentadactyla Linnaeus, 1758 is distributed across southern and southeastern Asia, including
Nepal, Bhutan, northern India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Hainan, and Taiwan (Challender et al. 2019). In India, the species has been
reported from several northeastern states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya,
Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, and Assam (Zoological Survey of India
2002; Srinivasulu & Srinivasulu
2012), with additional sightings from northern West Bengal and Sikkim (Misra & Hanfee 2000). During faunal assessments conducted in the
protected areas of Sikkim by the Forest Department, the Chinese Pangolin was
not recorded (Lepcha et al. 2017), despite earlier
studies documenting its occurrence in the state (Avasthe
& Jha 1999; Sathyakumar et al. 2011b). Later, Naulak & Pradhan (2020) included the species in a
checklist of mammals from the Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya landscape, indicating
its continued presence in both regions. Recently, the occurrence of this
species has been confirmed through camera trapping and local informant
interviews as part of an environmental impact assessment in Sikkim, India (ADB
2026).
The species is currently listed
as ‘Critically Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List due to rapid population
declines caused by illegal trade, habitat loss, and fragmentation (Challender et al. 2019). In India, M. pentadactyla is protected under Schedule I of the
Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Act, 2022 and is listed under CITES Appendix I,
providing the highest level of legal protection, making hunting and trade a
punishable offense. Despite all these efforts, pangolins remain the most
trafficked animal globally, largely driven by the illegal demand for their meat
and scales (Aditya et al. 2021).
The present observation was
recorded from Barapathing Village, Pakyong District, Sikkim, India (27.248° N, 88.697° E), at an elevation ranging
from 1,150–1,700 m. The landscape encompasses subtropical to temperate
broad-leaved forests combined with agricultural land and human settlements. In
recent years, the region has experienced increased anthropogenic pressure due
to road construction and upgradation, particularly associated with National
Highway 717B.
On the evening of 31 March 2024,
a local resident observed an unfamiliar animal wandering within their backyard
at Barapathing, apparently lost or in search of food.
The resident, unfamiliar with the species, initially attempted to drive the
animal away but, the animal did not flee. Despite pangolins being
characteristically shy and elusive (Martin et al. 2024), this individual
showcased passive behaviour, possibly indicating
tolerance to human-dominated landscapes.
The animal was temporarily
sheltered inside a room, and the Barapathing
Territorial Range, Forest & Environment Department, was contacted for
rescue. On the following day, range personnel successfully rescued the
individual and rehabilitated it into a downstream subtropical forest. The
animal was identified as an adult Chinese Pangolin, Manis pentadactyla, based on distinct morphological
characteristics, such as overlapping keratinous scales, an elongated snout, and
robust body form (Image 1 & 2).
Photographs obtained during the rescue
and rehabilitation process (Images 1 & 2) confirm the presence of M. pentadactyla from Barapathing,
Pakyong District, Sikkim, India. Locally, the species
is known as “Saalak” in the Nepali language in the
region. According to local residents, the species had never previously been
observed in so close proximity to human habitation in the area.
Later, the species identity Manis
pentadactyla was confirmed by Dr. Vikram Aditya, principal scientist and faculty, Centre for
Wildlife Studies, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India (Member of IUCN SSC Pangolin
Specialist Group) through photographs and description.
Habitat loss and fragmentation
arising from deforestation, forest fires, and road development exert
considerable threats to pangolins throughout their range (Suwal
et al. 2020). Sikkim has recorded one of the highest decadal growth rates of
national highways in India (NEDFi 2024), and the
upgradation of roads near Barapathing Village may
have contributed to habitat disruption, increasing human-wildlife encounters.
Behavioural adaptation may allow temporary
persistence in altered landscapes (Wong & Candolin
2014), such changes often increase susceptibility to illegal hunting, stress,
and population decline. Illegal hunting
and transboundary trafficking are an escalating threat to Chinese Pangolins in
Sikkim and nearby states. A report by The Statesman (2021) documented the
seizure of a dead pangolin near the Bengal-Sikkim border, where five
individuals from Sikkim were arrested while allegedly attempting to smuggle the
animal to Bhutan. The mammal was reportedly killed in a wildlife sanctuary in
Sikkim, and the report further indicated possible links with an international
wildlife trafficking network operating across the eastern Himalayan region.
Therefore, there is a need for baseline ecological data on M. pentadactyla in Sikkim for conservation planning.
This short communication provides
the photographic and additional record of the Chinese Pangolin Manis pentadactyla from Barapathing,
Pakyong District, Sikkim, India. It highlights the
escalating conservation challenges and threats linked to development-related
habitat fragmentation, illegal hunting and transboundary trafficking. This
record serves as a catalyst for focused field surveys, habitat connectivity interventions
and community-based awareness programmes to reduce
anthropogenic pressure and support the long-term survival of this Critically
Endangered species in Sikkim, India.
For
images - - click here for full PDF
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