Pangolins have two fames: first, they are the only mammals with scales in the world and, second, they are one of the most globally trafficked animals. Apart from most people know very little about them, but Netflix’s new documentary “Pangolim: Kulu’s trip” expects to change that.
The 90-minute film follows the story of a three-month-old pangolim, Kulu, rescued from illegal wildlife trade, and the slow and intensive process to return it to nature in South Africa.
“Kulu has an amazing personality, he is very his own Pangolim. He is incredibly stubborn, determined to go where he wants to go, not much in order to have this strange two-legged creature following him everywhere,” says director Pippa Elrich, better known for the Oscar-winning documentary “Professor Polvo”.
The creature of two legs in question is Gareth Thomas, a conservation volunteer who participated in the secret operation that rescued Kulu.
Rehabilitating rescued pangolins is an “incredibly intensive process,” says Elrich. They rarely eat captive, so they need daily walks, sometimes up to six hours a day, to feed on ants and termites. These daily walks are not just for food: they are also preparing Pangolim for the images, sounds and smells of their new habitat and helping him to overcome captivity trauma.
“The rehabilitation team asked [a Gareth] If he would bring Kulu to nature and free him. And I don’t know if he realized that this would be the next 18 months of his life, ”says Elrich.
The film follows the duo in the wild savanna of the Lapalala reserve, four hours in Johannesburg’s drive, immersing the viewer in the world of Pangolins.
“They have a magical quality; they are mammals, but covered with scales. You just don’t want Pangolins to be seen only as the world’s most trafficked mammal. You want them to be seen as these small, cheerful, unique and special creatures,” says Elrich.
A deep connection
The pangolim-terrestrial, also known as Cabo’s Temminck or Pangolim Pangolim, is one of eight species found globally and the most widely distributed of the four species in Africa, with a territory that extends from South Africa to Sudan.
When Kulu arrived at Johannesburg’s wildlife hospital, the team called him Gijima, which means “running” in Zulu, as the pangolim severely below weight but full of energy was constantly trying to flee while walking to feed. It was during the six months in Savana that Thomas dubbed the Kulu Pangolim, a variation from the word to “easy” in Zulu, to try to calm him.
Thomas grew the summers in the wild of South Africa and Zimbabwe, where he was born, but after school, he “disconnected” from nature, spending most of his time in the city.
“I had a certain yearning to be out there again,” he recalls. Then, in 2019, after starting to photograph wildlife, he began working as a volunteer at the African working group for Pangolins and the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital.
The filming of the Pangolins made by Thomas himself were crucial to the film, says Elrich: Pangolins are incredibly sensitive creatures, so Elrich says the production team had limited filming days and depended a lot on Thomas for videos of Kulu’s rehabilitation and close-ups.
“I realized that he has a very deep bond with these animals and understands them,” says Elrich. “He understands how to get these very intimate images, which almost makes you feel that you are seeing the world through the eyes of a Pangolim.”
Although viewers probably observe thematic similarities between “octopus teacher” and “The Journey of Kulu” – both exploit the relationships between humans and wildlife and our emotional connection with nature – Elrich says drastically different ecosystems have changed their approach to the film.
“One of the things that was so fascinating in (octopus teacher) is that you’re going to the water, and it immediately takes you to another universe,” she explains. “Being in the earthly world, even if you don’t know the bush, is much more relateable.”
Terror trafficking
The biggest threat to Pangolins is the stealing hunt for illegal wildlife trade, which moves $ 20 billion, where their scales, meat and body parts are sold to traditional medicine, and their skin used for leather products.
According to the Traffic NGO, Pangolins are widely trafficked to China and the US. With three of the four critically endangered Asian species and the difficulty of reproducing captive pangolins, the stealing hunt increased in Africa: between 2017 and 2019, more than half of the illegal seizures of pangolins in Asia were African pangolins species, totaling 244,600 pounds of scales and 10,971 individual animals.
Ray Jansen, co -founder of the African working group for Pangolins, who appears in the documentary, witnessed the dimension of this threat firsthand: the secret agent zoologist helped rescue 301 living pangolins, including Kulu, between 2016 and 2024, leading to the arrest of nearly 700 wildlife traffickers.
Before 2017, Jansen says prisons in South Africa were punished with insignificant fines rather than arrest. But in recent years, conservationists like Jansen have begun to provide testimonials from court experts, resulting in judgments of up to 10 years.
“This has sent a great warning message to these pangolins traffickers,” says Jansen, adding that although he observed a decrease in “opportunistic” stealth hunting in the country, “sophisticated” organized crime networks continue to traffic to international trade.
Rescued Pangolins from wildlife trade are incredibly difficult to treat and rehabilitate, says Dr. Karin Lourens, co-founder and chief veterinarian at Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital, the first hospital in South Africa treating Pangolins (all pangolins are kept out of place in an uncomfortable place).
“As they have not eaten, they don’t have enough protein,” says Lourens, adding that this causes liquid accumulation in the lungs. “So their pancreas stops working, so they can’t digest food either.”
“It was a sharp learning curve at first,” says Lourens, adding that he had no medical guidelines for first hospital pangolins, but over the years, the survival rate has exceeded 40% to 80%.
The filming team also worked with Lapalala Wilderness, the 48,000 hectares reserve where Kulu was finally released to get filming licenses and coordinate with the sightseeing unit on site to ensure the safety of the Pangolins and those carrying them.
Although stealing hunters are an inevitable topic when talking about Pangolins, Elrich made the deliberate choice to highlight the emotional side of these little known creatures. “Care must be taken with anthropomorphism, and I’m sure that is the criticism we will receive,” says Elrich.
Lourens said he would have preferred the documentary to focus on the Pangolins trade in Africa, something she considers “extremely necessary.” She also expressed concern about Kulu’s overrexposure to people during filming. Elrich says Thomas was “incredibly strict” about when additional cameramen could film; “I think I only did two filming with Kulu, most of the time it was just Gareth and him,” she adds.
Initially, Jansen also wanted the film to focus on the wildlife trade, a subject close to his heart – but after watching the documentary, he changed his mind. “It’s a much, much better angle to focus,” he says. “I hope this spreads great awareness and that the world can fall in love with these amazing creatures.”
A new threat – and a new hope
Although stealth hunting remains a big threat to Pangolins globally, Jansen says the electric fences in hunting reserves are now “responsible for the vast majority of Teminck’s pangolins deaths” in South Africa, illustrated in a terrifying scene when Kulu almost runs straight to one, except for the last minute by Thomas.
Together with Thomas and Lapalala Wilderness’s reserve, Jansen is working on a large -scale study on electrical fences and exploring new designs that could save wildlife.
And a new “pangolinarium”, operated by the African working group for Pangolins at Lapalala Wilderness, was inaugurated earlier this year – a kind of transition home to Pangolins between the hospital and the release, and a networking center for conservationists. Although it can house several pangolins, each one will still need their own dedicated escort for their daily meal.
Despite global conservation efforts, the number of pangolins is declining, with all eight species considered vulnerable, threatened or critically threatened by the IUCN.
“Pangolins are really a symbol of fragility we see in each other and in the nature around us,” says Elrich.
She expects the audience to connect with Kulu’s story and feel motivated to protect them and her environment: “There is simply nothing like a Pangolim.”
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This content was originally published in Meet the Secret Life of Pangolins, the most trafficked animals in the world on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
Charles Grill is a tech-savvy writer with over 3 years of experience in the field. He writes on a variety of technology-related topics and has a strong focus on the latest advancements in the industry. He is connected with several online news websites and is currently contributing to a technology-focused platform.
