'It's like meeting a rare Pokemon': Woman spots endangered pangolin wandering around Toa Payoh

A woman's night out in Singapore took an exciting turn after she caught a rare sighting of an endangered species.

Taking to TikTok to share her encounter, Sarahmaylow posted on Monday (Aug 14) a video of a Sunda pangolin walking on the pavement near one of the exits of Toa Payoh MRT station. 

Sunda pangolins are a critically endangered species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with roughly only 1,046 of these mammals left in Singapore.

@sarahmaylow Met a Critically ENDANGERED Sunda Pangolin at Toa Payoh! Only 100 of these left in the wild in Singapore 🇸🇬 #fyp #fypsingapore #singapore #pangolin #wildpangolin #endangeredanimal #sundapangolin #toapayoh ♬ original sound - Sarah May Low - IG: SarahMayLow

Having spotted such an animal at such a random place and time, Low wrote: "It was like meeting a rare Pokemon!"

"Clubbing ended up being boring but I am so glad that I went out that night," Low added.

In the video, a Sunda pangolin can be seen walking on the pavement, not realising that it was dangerously close to the road. 

Low did not mention in her TikTok post if she had contacted Acres or any other wildlife rescue groups about her sighting of the Sunda pangolin at Toa Payoh.

Low's video has gone viral, garnering 168,000 views and 12,000 likes.

Just like Low, many commenters were in awe that she had spotted an endangered species at a residential area, noting how lucky she was, while others called the Sunda pangolin "cute". 

In response to the comments, Low wrote: "I know right! I am so happy that I get to see this. Super rare too! Was reading about them the past few days, and at first I thought it was an Armadillo (so blur) but both are anteaters."

That said, there were some who were concerned that Low did not alert the wildlife rescue group of the rare sighting. They also felt that by posting this TikTok video she was exposing the location of the Sunda pangolin, which might "attract the poachers to hunt it".

Other netizens advised those who might have similar encounters with such endangered species to call the relevant animal welfare groups for help in the future.

In response to AsiaOne's query, Acres said that their wildlife rescue team did not get any calls about this incident.

They added that sightings of Sunda pangolins in the middle of a housing estate are rare but do happen from time to time. Usually, such estates would be near to green spaces or former green spaces.

In addition, this estate is about 1.5 km away from nearby green spaces like Bukit Brown and our nature reserve. The pangolin likely travelled through underground drainage systems and got lost when it decided to resurface, they added.

What to do if you encounter a pangolin

Of the eight species of pangolin found worldwide, the Sunda pangolin is the only one that can be found here, mainly in the Bukit Timah and Central Catchment Nature Reserves, said Wildlife Reserves Singapore.

According to NParks, pangolins in Singapore face the greatest threat from rapid urbanisation that resulted in massive habitat loss.

The slow-moving pangolins are also often injured or killed by vehicles when they stray off too far from the forested areas onto roads.

Globally, pangolins are greatly poached for its meat and scales, amounting to approximately 20 per cent of all illegal wildlife trade.

In Singapore, it is illegal under the Wildlife Act to remove wild animals, including pangolins, from the wild. Those found in nature reserves and other areas managed by NParks are also protected by the Parks and Trees Act 2005.

Furthermore, a total trade ban has been placed on wild pangolins under the Endangered Species Act.

Mandai Wildlife Group has also scaled up their pangolin conservation efforts by working with other wildlife rescue groups such as Singapore Pangolin Working Group on the Sunda National Conservation Strategy and Action plan. 

If you encounter a pangolin:

• Do not be alarmed. These animals are shy and will not attack humans.
• Do not touch, chase or corner them, as they will be frightened by your approach. You are advised to leave them alone.
• Observe them. Share your findings with pangolin research and welfare groups.

To report a sighting of a wild animal in places that are not their natural habitats, call the Acres' 24-hour wildlife crime and rescue hotline at 9783 7782.

ALSO READ: Animal crossing: Tapir spotted in Punggol likely swam over from Malaysia, Acres says

ashwini.balan@asiaone.com