Pangolin Africa is grateful for the support
2000 participants, and R40 000 later, Pangolin Africa has decided to make #Running4Pangolins an annual tradition.
World Pangolin Day has been celebrated on the third Saturday in February every year for the past eight years and on 15 February, conservationists and environmentalists commemorated the ninth annual World Pangolin Day. For this year’s campaign, Pangolin Africa (the organisation behind the initiative) put out a challenge to animal lovers world-wide.
The Pangolin Africa initiative is aimed at drawing as much attention as possible to the endangered animals and spreading the cause of conservation. The simple challenge asked people how far they would go to save pangolins. Participants were asked to print out #Running4Pangolins banners and take a walk or run, of whatever distance they chose, just to raise awareness of the endangered animals that are quickly becoming extinct.
The aim of the walks and runs was to get onlookers to ask about the initiative, research it, and perhaps donate to the conservation cause. Not many people know about these animals, but they are poached and trafficked even more than elephants and rhinos. All of the money raised on the day, before the day, and in the future goes towards the conservation of the beautiful animals.
Parkruns got involved with their weekly 5km runners wearing the banners; residents got involved by running around their neighbourhood; and the Caxton West Rand branch got involved by making banners and walking around Witpoortjie. The editorial team held their posters high and tried to get passing cars to hoot and pedestrians to ask questions.
The first #Running4Pangolins global awareness event was so successful, with more than 2 000 participants from over 30 countries, that the conservation organisation has decided to make the runs an annual tradition.
This year, Pangolin Africa was able to raise more than R40 000 through runners and sponsorships just on World Pangolin Day. If you were unable to support the cause on the day, the awareness campaign never stops. To find out more about pangolins and the initiative, visit https://www.pangolin.africa/.
