Stevie, a Pangolin, was rescued from the illegal wildlife trade and learned to love piggyback rides from his caretaker. Dr. Kelsey Skinner from Johannesburg Wildlife Vet suspected he was around 3 to 4 months old when they took him in.
Typically a Pangolin will be with their mother up until 6 to 8 months old. Stevie was firm and insistent, but sometimes he was still scared.
There was undoubtedly some trauma Stevie experienced from being in the illegal trade. Professor Ray Jansen of the African Pangolin Working Group does intelligence operations, and he saved Stevie.
It took two and a half hours before Jansen convinced the traders to show him the Pangolin. Once he confirmed the creature’s safety, he gave the signal to take down the criminals.
Jansen spoke about how nervous he was prior to the operation. He named the Pangolin after his loyal team member, Stevie. He was thrilled to know that Stevie was doing fantastic with his caretakers.
Skinner took Stevie for a walk, and he started riding on her back which baby Pangolins will do for a while with their mothers. He adapted to it quickly and enjoyed experiencing new things.
Stevie loved to play and eat termites. Eventually, he became more independent and was ready to be a wild Pangolin. Skinner felt it was a privilege to be his caretaker.
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