Are you searching for ethical pangolin safaris or wondering where to responsibly view wild pangolins in Africa? Are you wondering how you can ensure your wildlife encounters are truly ethical?

With increasing awareness around pangolin conservation, and the conservation of various other threatened species in Africa, many travelers now prioritizing responsible wildlife tourism experiences that actively contribute to conservation. At Working with Wildlife, located in South Africa’s magnificent Eastern Kalahari Bushveld region, our predator and pangolin monitoring initiatives present ethical predator and pangolin safaris emphasizing sustainability, conservation, and animal welfare.

In this post, we’ll explore why the Kalahari is one of Africa’s premier destinations for responsibly viewing predators like lions, cheetahs, African wild dogs, and pangolins, and what differentiates ethical wildlife tourism from exploitative practices. Understand how your safari choices directly influence the survival of these extraordinary animals.

Ground pangolin foraging for ants in a dead tree at Khamab Kalahari Reserve

While the precise impact that Temminck’s ground pangolins (Smutsia temminckii) have on healthy ecosystems remains questionable given the low densities in which they occur, but the animal holds exceptional significance in that it is the only species of pangolin naturally inhabiting southern Africa, including the expansive Kalahari Desert.

The mission and vision of Khamab Kalahari Reserve is to create a conservation area that:

• Comprises unspoilt landscapes and habitats that visually typify the Kalahari Bushveld.
• Sustains the full spectrum of African wild herbivores and carnivores that naturally occurred in such landscapes/habitats in the past.
• Enables the ecological processes of the system to function with as little management intervention as possible.

Ground pangolins, like any other species naturally occurring in the area, must be protected from anthropogenic threats at all costs.

Temminck’s ground pangolins are unique animals covered in distinctive overlapping scales made of keratin, the same material found in our own hair and fingernails. These scales offer pangolins their unique armored appearance, protecting them from natural predators, and making them the only truly scaly mammals in the world.

Unlike most mammals, pangolins possess long, sticky tongues capable of extending up to 40 centimetres in length, allowing them to effectively gather ants and termites. Remarkably, a single adult pangolin can consume tens of thousands of ants and/or termites daily, demonstrating their potential role in ecological health. Ground pangolins are bipedal, walking on their back legs, while occasionally using their forelimbs or tail for counterbalancing support.

Unfortunately, their slow movement and tendency to reuse burrows makes ground pangolins highly vulnerable to poaching. Coupled with their defensive reflex, curling into tight balls when threatened, make them easy targets for poachers.

Ground pangolin yawning by tasting the air

Ground pangolins face severe threats primarily from illegal wildlife trafficking and electrified fences. Tragically, the ten known species of pangolin (Pholidota) make them the most trafficked mammals globally. This demand is driven by certain African and Asian markets, where their meat is viewed as a delicacy and their scales are mistakenly believed to possess medicinal properties. Despite the complete lack of scientific evidence to support for these claims, rampant poaching continues.

Compounding these threats is the ongoing destruction of wild habitats driven by agriculture, urban expansion, and infrastructure development. Habitat loss not only reduces the available space for pangolins to forage, but it destroys the very ecosystems they depend on.  Furthermore, as people encroach on these wild habitats, so more pangolins become susceptible to the illegal poaching trade.

This is perhaps the most urgent conservation crisis globally and highlights the necessity for responsible and ethical wildlife tourism to fund wild habitats. Participating in ethical safaris helps to ensure direct funding for wild habitats and pangolin conservation. It further enables research projects which help us to better understand these unique mammals and anti-poaching patrols to keep them safe.

Ground pangolin walking in the grass at Khamab Kalahari Reserve

At the hearth of ethical wildlife tourism is the goal of experiencing endemic wildlife in their natural habitat, while causing as little disruption as possible to the environment. This approach places animal welfare and habitat conservation above profit or entertainment and ensures that tourism contributes positively to effective and meaningful wildlife preservation. Thankfully, more travellers are beginning to understand the critical role that ethical tourism plays, particularly when seeking out elusive and threatened species like pangolins in South Africa.

Not all wildlife tourism is equal and it’s important to understand these key differences. Ethical tourism adheres strictly to responsible wildlife tourism guidelines, which include:

• Observing wildlife from a safe and respectful distance without interference.
• Avoiding any physical interaction with animals, such petting or handling.
• Contributing positively to wildlife and habitat conservation.

On the other hand, exploitative practices which are typically disguised as conservation or wildlife-friendly tourism often involve activities such as:

• Animal handling for photo opportunities.
• Captive breeding of wildlife.
• Darting animals for profit under the guise of much needed “conservation work”.
• Baiting animals to guarantee sightings.

By clearly understanding and recognising these differences, tourists can make informed choices that prioritise conservation efforts and animal welfare. At Working with Wildlife, we follow strict ethical tourism practices and actively educate visitors on identifying exploitative operations.

Ground pangolin rolled into a defensive ball at Khamab Kalahari Reserve

Choosing an ethical safari, whether pangolin safaris or other, directly supports these conservation efforts which extend well beyond simple wildlife viewing. By selecting projects committed to ethical standards, your visit becomes part of the solution rather than part of the problem. Ethical tourism contributes directly to:

• Habitat Protection and Restoration: Protecting areas of critical biodiversity where wild pangolins naturally occur, enables them to thrive within their natural environments. Ground pangolins require good ant and termite populations along with suitable burrows and dens (typically excavated by aardvarks or porcupines) for shelter. This means that ground pangolins cannot survive without a healthy ecosystem to support them.
• Anti-poaching Efforts: Funding and equipping patrols that protect threatened wildlife, most notably rhinos, has a knock-on effect of protecting all animals within those protected area including the ground pangolin.

Ethical tourism offers travellers with an authentic, immersive, and educational experience that helps foster a deeper appreciation and respect for nature. This not only enhances the level of personal satisfaction for these travellers, but it also creates a lasting positive impact on wildlife conservation areas across Africa.

Ground pangolin walking on hind legs at Khamab Kalahari Reserve

The arid semi-desert Kalahari region of South Africa is commonly regarded as one of Africa’s most suitable locations for ground pangolin viewing. With vast, largely undisturbed habitats and a high level of conservation commitment, this region provides the optimal environment for the elusive ground pangolin to thrive. In general, travellers seeking responsible wildlife tourism find that the Kalahari is unmatched in its ability to combine authentic wildlife experiences with meaningful conservation impact.

Covering expansive areas of grassland savannahs, sparse woodlands, and calcrete pans, the Kalahari ecosystem is particularly conducive to the survival of Temminck’s ground pangolins. The region boasts an abundance of termite and large ant species, providing pangolins with ample food. Because this region has fewer lodges and remains largely untouched by urban development and intensive agriculture, ground pangolins, along with the rest of the ecosystem which they depend upon, live relatively undisturbed.

The Kalahari’s remote location further reduces poaching pressure as there are fewer ways to find wild pangolins and equally few ways to transport them to city hubs where they can be sold. While this does not make the region immune to poaching risks, it does aid in pangolin protection.

Ground pangolin scat photographed at Khamab Kalahari Reserve

One common misconception about ground pangolins is that these mammals are exclusively nocturnal. Through detailed observations and monitoring, we have found that on Khamab Kalahari Reserve, for approximately eight months each year, ground pangolins exhibit predominantly diurnal (daytime) activity patterns, making pangolin viewing during daylight hours highly rewarding.

During the hotter months (November – February), pangolins shift their activity to the cooler nighttime hours to avoid extreme temperatures and align their foraging with the peak activity periods of their preferred ant and termite prey. Rather than thinking of ground pangolins as nocturnal or diurnal animals, it’s suspected that ground pangolins are merely most active when their preferred prey are most active and closest to the surface.

A hallmark of truly responsible wildlife tourism is making the smallest possible impact on habitats and wildlife. At Working with Wildlife, we strictly limit group sizes to a maximum of ten guests in the camp. This approach dramatically reduces the environmental impact on habitats and minimizes stress or disturbance to wildlife. In terms of pangolin monitoring, this is especially important.

Not only do smaller groups offer a deeper personal engagement and more educational opportunities, but it also makes for richer wildlife encounters. Unlike mass tourism or large-scale volunteer projects, which have sadly become synonymous with wildlife exploitation, our exclusive small group experiences offer more intimate, respectful, and genuinely authentic wildlife encounters. This approach avoids many vehicles pressuring wildlife to ensure sightings.

In what is a rapidly growing wildlife conservation tourism industry, and as mentioned earlier, distinguishing truly ethical operations from exploitative ones is important, yet increasingly difficult. Every lodge or wildlife conservation project markets themselves using the same encouraging terminology.

Unfortunately, terms like “conservation” or “sanctuary” are thrown around too casually and are easily be misused by operators engaging in unethical wildlife practices. Some organisations exploit wildlife by allowing animal handling or promoting forced animal interactions for photographic opportunities under the excuse of “education”. These practices contribute negatively to genuine conservation efforts.

At Working with Wildlife, we have slowly built our reputation as a responsible wildlife tourism option, and our reviews offer some insight into this. We strive to focus explicitly on authentic, conservation-centered experiences, even if that means fewer sightings and ticked boxes for guests. Too many safaris prioritize entertainment, profit, and delivering sightings, over actual conservation.

Below are core practices that define our conservation project for all wildlife, not limited to ethical pangolin safaris which sets us apart from the above wildlife tourism providers across Africa.

Locating a pangolin using telemetry for monitoring purposes

We believe that there is no reason, beyond entertainment, for picking up wild animals like chameleons, tortoises, snakes and lizards and allowing guests to touch them. Such interactions cause unnecessary stress to these animals and disrupt their natural behaviours, and this is especially true with ground pangolins. In contrast, Working with Wildlife strictly adheres to a no-contact policy with all wild animals. Any need to be in contact with pangolins, such as fitting tracking tags or weighing those rescued from the illegal trade during their monitoring phase, is done exclusively by our trained staff.

We ensure that each wildlife encounter occurs quietly and from a respectful distance. This practice not only minimizes animal stress but also preserves the genuine wilderness experience for guests.

At Working with Wildlife, we prioritise non-invasive, remote tracking and observational methods. Using satellite tracking units, we can monitor the movement patterns of pangolins every few minutes without disturbing the animals. This ensures that data we collect on wild pangolins movements occur organically, reflecting genuine animal behaviour unaffected by human interference. We limit our pangolin monitoring, where we are in the presence of the animal, to the earlier monitoring phase of a rescued pangolin’s release (weight and condition must be observed in person), unusual pangolin behaviour observed on a satellite tag (e.g. no movement at all), tag/battery replacements, scat collection, and dangerous proximity to electrified fences.

The risk of electrocution on mandatory trip wires in protected areas

We can go for extended periods without observing a tagged pangolin in person while still monitoring their movement and behavior remotely. This means that not all guests are guaranteed to see a pangolin at Working with Wildlife, and we will not take guests to see one for the sole purpose of their entertainment.

Such responsible wildlife tourism practices enable those guests fortunate enough to join in pangolin monitoring when needed, to witness these magical animals in their most natural state.

Travelers often see “guaranteed wildlife sightings” as a positive feature of wildlife tours. However, guaranteed sightings are impossible unless operators use unnatural methods.

The alternative embraces the inherent unpredictability of wildlife. Ethical tourism providers openly acknowledge that sightings are not guaranteed, as animals are observed in completely natural and uncontrolled conditions. This honest approach ensures ethical practices and supports genuine conservation outcomes for wild animals, including pangolins, in Africa.

Ground Pangolin tasting the air as seen at Khamab Kalahari Reserve

Unlike traditional safari experiences where guests are merely passive observers, our safaris actively involve participants in meaningful conservation initiatives. Guests at Working with Wildlife participate in hands-on research and ecological monitoring, such as following predators to collect data on their kill frequency, prey selection and prey preferences, recording the natural distribution or wildlife (both predator and prey) and assisting with ecological surveys.

This active participation not only directly supports ongoing conservation efforts but also provides guests with valuable insights into real-world conservation science. Visitors leave with a tangible sense of contribution to wildlife conservation, becoming informed advocates for responsible wildlife tourism practices worldwide.

The revenue generated from our safaris directly funds these conservation activities, with a further 21% of our revenue attributed to the reserve’s operational costs (e.g. anti-poaching costs, fence and vehicle maintenance, herbicides for the removal on invasive species, etc.). By engaging guests in these initiatives, we further serve as a cost saving initiative for the reserve as fewer personnel are needed to achieve ecological targets. Most importantly, when joining, guests can witness first-hand where their funds are going and how their efforts are helping.

By booking a safari with Working with Wildlife, you directly support tangible conservation outcomes.

Close up photograph of a ground pangolin’s face covered in ants

Beyond choosing ethical pangolin safaris, there are numerous practical and impactful ways that wildlife enthusiasts can actively contribute to the conservation of pangolins. Nor does your engagement have to end after your safari. In fact, ongoing involvement is crucial for the long-term protection of these vulnerable animals. At Working with Wildlife, we strongly encourage visitors to adopt continuous, meaningful conservation actions. Here are several effective ways to support pangolin conservation beyond your visit.

Financial and practical support for reputable conservation organisations plays a pivotal role in pangolin protection. These organisations rely heavily on donations and volunteer contributions to fund essential conservation activities.

We encourage guests to support the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital who care for pangolins in the immediate aftermath of their rescue from poachers and rehabilitate them to a suitable condition for release into wild environments.

Raising awareness is perhaps one of the most potent tools available for pangolin conservation. Public misconceptions, especially related to pangolin scales and their purported medicinal value, are major drivers of illegal trafficking. Travelers can play a surprisingly big role by spreading information on the realities of pangolin conservation within their own social circles. On a large scale, this can help to reduce consumer demand for pangolin-derived products and promote ethical wildlife tourism practices.

Visitors to Working with Wildlife’s pangolin safaris leave with in-depth knowledge that enables them to become effective conservation ambassadors, promoting responsible wildlife tourism and pangolin conservation internationally.

Illegal wildlife trafficking is devastating pangolin, elephant, rhino, and vulture populations (to name a few) across the world, and international advocacy is key for enhancing protection through legislative change and community awareness. Publicly advocating against trafficking practices can drive meaningful legislative changes and bolster enforcement efforts.

Ground pangolin tracks seen at Khamab Kalahari Reserve

Some FAQs to best help travellers navigate ethical wildlife tourism and pangolin conservation:

The choices travellers make in wildlife tourism directly impact species conservation and ecological sustainability. Choosing to participate in an ethical wildlife or pangolin safaris should be seen as more than a simple vacation decision. Consider it an impactful commitment to wildlife protection, ecological preservation, and sustainable tourism practices. In an era of wildlife, like pangolins, facing severe threats from poaching, trafficking, and habitat loss, responsible tourism is not merely preferable, it’s essential.

By opting for authentic, ethically managed experiences like those we try to offer at Working with Wildlife in South Africa’s pristine Eastern Kalahari Bushveld region, travellers directly contribute to the survival and protection of all wildlife occurring in the region, including the elusive ground pangolin. We strive for our safaris to empower visitors through comprehensive education, genuine wildlife encounters, direct conservation participation, and active support of habitat restoration.

Furthermore, ethical wildlife tourism serves as a powerful educational tool. Visitors leave equipped not only with once in a lifetime memories of wildlife, like African wild dogs and pangolins, but also with a deeper knowledge, awareness, and empathy, that enables them to advocate for responsible tourism and conservation globally. Each visitor thus becomes an ambassador for wildlife, for pangolins, for wildlife protection, and for sustainable travel practices therefore creating a ripple effect that far exceeds the impact of a single safari experience.

We invite you to join us at Working with Wildlife, where every safari adventure is carefully designed to uphold the highest standards of ethical practice, conservation effectiveness, and ecological integrity. Whether you’re traveling individually, as a family, or with a group, your decision to embark on an ethical pangolin safari directly supports crucial efforts to protect these fascinating mammals, preserve their habitats, and secure their future in the wild.