Pangolin Spotting

When her big, college-going cousins had said, “Join us on our safari!” a couple of weeks back, she’d enthusiastically agreed. Nidhi imagined spotting tigers behind every tree and rhinos by the dozen. Instead, most of the ‘wild life’ she’d encountered had been beetles in her bed, blood-thirsty mosquitoes that swarmed around at mealtimes, and the odd bat that swooped low over the cousin gang as they headed back to their tents at night.

Worse still, the safari showed no signs of ending. Her eldest cousin, Manojanna, was a photographer, and a pangolin-spotter. He visited sanctuaries that had sizable populations of this odd ant-eating mammal, only to take their pictures.

And these he sent off to various wildlife organisations across the world and won prizes for his hard work. But somehow the pangolins in this forest had decided to avoid Manojanna. And Nidhi knew that till some pangolins emerged and posed for her dear cousin, they’d never leave the forest. Oh, how she prayed to the Patron Saint of Pangolins (did St.Francis of Assisi overlook the affairs of pangolins too, she wondered).
Over the last week she’d learnt enough about pangolins to know that they loved termites, so anthills were a good place to set up a tripod and camera. Apparently, pangolins are those rarest of mammals that have reptile-like scales. But, pangolins were also notoriously shy, avoiding contact with humans. Any sign of danger, and a pangolin rolls itself into a ball, with only its sharp scales exposed. Pangolins are also somewhat like skunks, with glands that give off a terrible smell when they feel threatened. 

So, sure…Nidhi too began liking these yet-to-be-seen-creatures. But she was not prepared for any more nights with beetles and bats.   Finally, maybe St. Francis of Assisi did hear Nidhi’s prayers. One morning, Manojanna had set up his camera beside a large ant colony. And lay motionless on the ground in his camouflage clothes. Nidhi and another cousin, Swetha Akka, were seated up on a tree,  when they heard a soft scratching sound. Nidhi looked down and saw, wonder of wonders…a pangolin! Her first sighting! She almost screamed, with excitement!

But the funny armadillo-like creature had decided to forage at the smallest anthill, which was behind Manojanna. Nidhi moved like lightning. She grabbed her cousin’s mobile phone, quickly switched to camera mode and clicked a picture of the pangolin. Since Manojanna was quite unaware that a precious pangolin was silently eating a meal behind his very back, he didn’t stir, so Nidhi was able to click away… almost 15 pictures of this creature using its front legs and long nails to silently break apart a termite hill. Then its extra-long tongue emerged, flicking deep into the ant nest for a good helping of food!

When the pangolin did finally step on some dried leaves, Manojanna snapped around.
But that frightened the poor creature, who turned itself into a ball, as it rolled away into the bushes, out of sight! But not before Nidhi had shot a picture of the pangolin-as-a-ball! 

The pictures were great, but more important, Nidhi hoped that they could now all pack up and go home. And they did, because the cousins teased Manojanna, no end. After all, HE was supposed to be the hot-shot photographer!