In early April, a member of a biodiversity survey team from the Luohu bureau of the Ecology and Environment Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality ventured into the forested region of Wutong Mountain, the highest peak in the city of Shenzhen, Guangdong province. The team strategically set up four infrared cameras in remote areas of the woodland, designed to be activated by heat to capture images of local wildlife.
In September, the team returned to retrieve the data from their camera traps. After sorting and analyzing the footage last month, they were thrilled to discover images of a wild Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla). This discovery represents the first confirmed sighting of this rare species in Shenzhen’s Luohu district in over three decades.
Huang Qin, the technical adviser for the survey team, expressed their excitement, noting, “It was a pleasant surprise for us. It’s evidence of the effectiveness of our environmental conservation efforts in the area.”
This finding is a significant indicator of the region’s biodiversity and highlights the positive impact of conservation initiatives, paving the way for further preservation efforts and raising awareness about the importance of protecting endangered species. The return of such a rare species is hopeful news for environmentalists and reinforces the need for continued efforts in habitat preservation.