Mammals of Southern Africa
Pangolin Portrait
On a school trip to Liwonde National Park, the guide received a radio call to say that a pangolin (or scaly anteater) had been spotted on the airstrip. The students were getting nice pictures of sunrise. We made them run back to the camp, jump into a safari car and we drove as quickly as possible to the airstrip.
Our guide, McLoud, had been in the Park for more than 10 years and had never seen one of these creatures.
I laid on the floor, with my 18mm lens and waited for the pangolin to uncurl. He did and I took the picture.
I felt really lucky and privileged to see and photograph such an elusive animal.
Date: 16/06/2007
Location: Airstrip, Liwonde National Park, Malawi
Photographer: Arnaud Germain
