Critically endangered Chinese pangolin found in Nepal's sacred forest

June 8, 2026 report Critically endangered Chinese pangolin found in Nepal's sacred forest Paul Arnold Author Lisa Lock Scientific Editor Robert Egan Associate Editor The rare Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) has been spotted for the first time in Sunsari District in eastern Nepal. This brings the total number of districts in the country where the critically endangered species has been documented to 28. Chinese pangolins are small, solitary, nocturnal mammals native to South and Southeast Asia. Like other pangolin species, they are under threat of extinction from poaching, habitat loss and illegal trafficking. The scale-covered animals are protected under Nepali law, but these protections can be difficult to enforce over such vast areas. To better protect them, scientists need to know where they are living across the country. But until now, evidence of Chinese pangolins in Sunsari District was limited to anecdotal reports and signs such as tracks thought to belong to the species. Following the clues So researchers headed into the Panchakanya forest in January 2025. This small urban woodland is a sacred community forest for local Hindu and Kirat communities. The team searched for clues of pangolin presence, such as fresh burrows, tracks and signs of foraging activity. When they found them, they set up two motion-detecting cameras and secured them to trees and poles off the ground so they wouldn't be stolen, retrieving them during the day. Over two weeks, the cameras rotated to 14 different locations near trails and burrows. Caught on camera In fact, they didn't have to wait too long for a sighting. On the second night, the cameras captured two short video clips of a male Chinese pangolin, one at 22:03 and the other at 22:06. Because these clips were filmed just three minutes apart at the same spot, the researchers concluded it was the same male pangolin. The scientists discuss what they recorded in a paper published in the journal Oryx. "This study provides the first confirmation, with camera-trap evidence, of the Chinese pangolin in Sunsari district in eastern Nepal," the scientists wrote in their paper. The discovery is good news for conservationists, but because the study was short and covered only a small area, researchers don't know anything about broader population numbers in the district. Even so, finding this rare mammal in a sacred forest surrounded by urban development highlights the importance of local culture in wildlife conservation, as the scientists note. "The presence of the Chinese pangolin in this sacred forest enriches the ecological significance of this urban habitat. Protection of the pangolin in this context is an opportunity to link cultural values with conservation awareness." Written for you by our author Paul Arnold, edited by Lisa Lock, and fact-checked and reviewed by Robert Egan—this article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive. If this reporting matters to you, please consider a donation (especially monthly). You'll get an ad-free account as a thank-you. Publication details Tujin Rai et al, The sacred forest's secret: first camera-trap evidence of the Chinese pangolin in Sunsari district, Nepal, Oryx (2026). DOI: 10.1017/s003060532610283x Journal information: Oryx © 2026 Science X Network