Villagers kill rare pangolin

Terrified villagers Sunday killed a rare pangolin in Shah Fatah village of Pasrur as they used bricks, sticks and stones to eliminate the mammal. The locals saw the animal coming out from the debris of an ancient building. Considering it ‘a dangerous and strange animal’, they tied the pangolin with ropes and bashed it to death in a cruel manner. Later, the ‘brave’ villagers dragged the body of the rare animal in the village streets to show their bravery while beating the dead body with shoes. Finally, they hanged the body at a crossing and dumped it in the nearby fields, providing food for stray dogs and other animals. Some villagers said the ‘dangerous animal’ had terrified the people’, therefore, they decided to eliminate it. In January 2011, the people of Daska city had also found a pangolin from near the banks of Bambaanwala-Ravi-Badian Canal and released the animal into the canal after feeding it for two days. Pangolins are anteater (insect eater) and nocturnal animals. They use their well-developed sense of smell to find insects. Their size varies with the long-tailed pangolin about a meter long and weighing two kg while giant one is almost two meter in length and weighs up to 32 kg. The giant pangolin’s tongue is about two feet in length and anchored internally to the animal’s hip bones. In the given scenario, the conservationists are becoming increasingly worried about the survival of certain species, including the pangolin. They warn that the said animals are on the verge of extinction due to the government’ negligence and the hostile attitude of the local population.