Members of the local partner organization Save Vietnam’s Wildlife had nursed back the seriously injured animal, said the German World Animal Protection Society, which spoke of a “miraculous rescue operation”. According to this, the Vietnamese police had confiscated the animal caught by poachers from traders and placed it in the care of animal rights activists in the province of Dien Bien on the border with Laos.
They saw small holes in the animal’s scales and discovered shotgun pellets in the animal’s body with the help of an X-ray. The pangolin has now survived the operation in which these were removed. It was then maintained for several weeks. If no permanent damage is found, it could be released back into the wild, according to animal rights activists.
Pangolins are found in parts of Asia and Africa. According to the World Animal Protection Society, they are considered to be the most illegally trafficked mammals in the world. In countries like China and Vietnam, their scales are used in traditional medicine and the meat is considered a delicacy.