Google joins forces with WWF to raise Pangolin awareness 2017

Have you seen the Pangolin’s Valentine’s date game?

But what is a Pangolin?

A pangolin is a mammal mostly found in Africa and Asia. There are eight different types of species found in these continents. Pangolins are already in a group of the most endangered species of mammals. This is due to illegal poaching for personal gains and trade.

They live in hollow trees and or burrows depending on the species. The ones that dwell in the grounds dig tunnels that are approximately 3.5m long as their homes.

These animals have large keratins scales overlapping, protecting and covering their bodies and most significantly, they are the only animals with such adaptations. However, when these mammals feel threatened, they roll up themselves in a ball-like shape

Pangolins survive mainly by eating termites and ants captured using their extraordinarily long and sticky tongues. They use their well-developed sense of smell to fetch for food (termites and ants).

Pangolins are somewhat weirdos and strange in that; they live in solitary and make contact with others mostly to mate and bring forth offspring, which usually is between one and three. It takes about two years for them to raise their offspring.

Male pangolins are larger than females weighing some-how 50% more than females. Most animals have mating seasons but for the pangolin, mating is whenever it is necessary though usually once a year and commonly during autumn and summer months

Pangolin characteristic

Pangolins come in different sizes are there are 8 different species around the world though specifically known to habitat in Asia and sub-Sahara Africa. They are usually between 1.5kg and 35kg with varying colours that range from olive, dark-brown, yellowish and olive.

Their bodies are covered in scales of keratin known to belong to the human race, helping in creating and forming human hair and nails. These mammals have characteristics found in lions and tigers. In normal life, men look for women but with pangolins, women look for men when they want to mate. Male pangolins will mark their area of a habitation with urine or feces and the female will find them. This is very common with wild cats. However, when there is competition over a single female, the males concerned will use their tails to fight the opportunity to mate with the female.

Pangolins as food in Africa and China

Some Africans as well Chinese hunt and eat these mammals as food in Africa, it is called “Bushmeat” and in China and Vietnam pangolin meat is treated as a delicacy and others believe its scale comes with medicinal potentials for many ailments. Also in Africa, some tradition healers known as Voodoo priest believe that Pangolin meat comes with some sort of traditional cure to many sicknesses. It is almost the same thing happening in some parts of Asia where the people believe that pangolins are a cure for cancer and asthma.

In many parts of Africa, deforestation is to be blamed for the decrease leading to more than 2millions Pangolins being illegally trafficked overseas, making pangolins one of the most highly trafficked animals. Pangolins have since been added to the Zoological society of London’s of endangered mammals since 2010.

Did Google just step in to help Pangolin awareness?

The answer is yes. Google has just rolled out Valentine’s day Doodle game featuring a Pangolin. This game is in four levels and the primary objective is to raise awareness about pangolins becoming distinct. Google is working in partner with WWF, the one and only organization in the world with a charitable approach to animals to raise Pangolin awareness.

So this game is just not for fun but a way to amplify awareness to try and preserve pangolins from extinction and illegal trafficking. The Google-WWF pangolin game is about two pangolins send love letters and separated by distance. Eventually, these Pangolins then decided that; Valentine’s day was going to be their very first face-to-face encounter same as we do with our loved ones, we’ve not had the opportunity to meet though in recent times our encounters are done via the internet for those with very busy life schedules.

As, I said earlier within this write-up, Pangolins mate once in a year. With this in mind, the male Pangolin thought, this is the one and only opportunity to get laid. Meaning, his first impression has to be charming and a go-getter. Yeah, so he decides to travel around the world to learn the best methods and approaches that will help in having a successful date. Ten years, he would have been going to see Eben Pagan AKA David De Angelo.