Sunda Pangolin (Manis javanica)

Mohamed bin Zayed Species project number 240534918

Protection of Sunda Pangolin population on the edge of Thong Pha Phum National Park, Kanchanaburi, Thailand

With the grant money:

1. We dug and lined a large water pool (approximately 22 x 25 m) and gradually backfilled it with 30 tons of soil to give the pool and its edges a natural look. It now serves as a breeding site for amphibians and insects, as well as a year-round source of drinking water for all wildlife. Previously, the land experienced two main seasons: a species-rich rainy season and a hot, dry, species-depleted season lasting the other six months of the year. During this time, much of the wildlife would normally move down the hill to the river, where it was more likely to come close to settlements. Now, however, it can remain in the heart of the land, where our reforestation project began 17 years ago and where the pool is located. The reservoir also serves as an emergency water supply on the land in the event of another fire.

2. We enlarged and increased our network of firebreaks to give greater security from fire and also allow greater vehicle access to monitor the land for wildlife and people.

3. We purchased three additional trail cameras to add to the one I already had in operation, in order to monitor the pangolins and other wildlife and improve our knowledge of individual animals, locations, and habits. We got our first Sunda pangolin images with these new cameras on 11th November 2024. Shortly afterward, we captured another clip of an individual walking near Muddy Pool, a small forest pool we were able to create using cut-offs from the main pool liner. After that, we found evidence of pangolins in the form of scratches on trees, as well as broken ant nests and termite mounds. In February, we saw a pangolin sleeping in a hollow high up in a fig tree, and on 1st June 2025, we again captured a video clip of a pangolin at the same tree and burrow where we had seen one back in November. 

4. We constructed two 'drinking' trees for use by pangolins by hollowing out the top of old tree stumps and creating a shallow bowl of suitably dyed concrete. These proved to be very popular with small birds and some mammals, such as treeshrews, but so far have not been visited by pangolins.

In addition to the above, I created a dedicated Facebook profile and YouTube channel for Huai Khayeng Nature Park to showcase the work we are doing there - see the following links:

    https://www.facebook.com/huai.khayeng.nature.park

    https://www.youtube.com/@HuaiKhayengNaturePark