Will you be #running4pangolins this year?

While most people think that only large, tusked animals, such as rhinos and elephants are being poached, a small scaled mammal known as the pangolin is the most poached mammal in the world. There are eight species of Pangolin in total, four originating in Africa and four from Asia.

The adorable creatures are poached, trafficked and brutally murdered for their scales, which are used for traditional medicines, high-end fashion, and fancy cuisines. By 2017, it was estimated that more than one million pangolins had been poached in the previous 10 years. Those numbers have been growing extensively and the animal’s population is dwindling.

These beautiful, endangered creatures are on the verge of extinction. That is why Pangolin. Africa is hoping to join hands with conservationists, environmentalists and people worldwide to raise awareness, raise money, or raise both.

World Pangolin Day has been celebrated on the third Saturday in February every year for the past eight years. On Saturday, 15 February this year, the Ninth Annual World Pangolin Day will be held.

This initiative is aimed at drawing as much attention as possible to the endangered animals and spreading the cause of conservation.

For the Ninth Annual World Pangolin day, the organisation is asking how far people would go to save the African pangolins, literally. They are asking everyone to hit the tar, track, trail or treadmill and run to raise awareness and become mobile pangolin ambassadors.

You can take part in parkruns, run or walk with your friends or neighbours, or even run at the gym. All you need to do is register and you will be sent an info pack containing a printable awareness bib, an information sheet to tell people more about pangolins, and a sponsorship sheet for if you would like to raise money for the cause.

The Roodepoort parkrun will be tying in a pangolin theme with their Valentine’s Day theme for the day, so come dressed up in your I Love Pangolins ensemble and you could get your photo featured in the Record.

The #running4pangolins campaign is easy, fun and free. All that is being asked of you is to spend a little bit of your time try to give these animals more time.

There is no set distance or route; you just need to run anywhere and at any time. The weekly parkruns are enjoyed by residents throughout Roodepoort and create the perfect opportunity to wear your bib with pride and raise awareness.

Together, we can raise global awareness about the most trafficked wildlife species on earth. Let everyone know that you are #running4pangolins by using the hashtag on your social media channels and sharing the web link as far and wide as you can. Challenge others to do the same. The link to register and find out more about these special animals is https://www.pangolin.africa/running-4-pangolins. Every run counts.