Kelsey Prediger highlighted pangolin poaching

Survival rates for rescued pangolins in Namibia jumped from 40% to over 90% since 2023, but at least 650 have been poached since 2018.

The trafficking numbers are grim

• At least 650 pangolins were poached in Namibia across registered crime cases since 2018.
• Applying an 18% recovery rate puts the real figure closer to 3,600 animals.
• Pangolins have been the world's most trafficked mammals since 2014.
• Asian market demand for scales and meat is the primary driver.

Kelsey Prediger's foundation is grinding

• Kelsey Prediger founded the Pangolin Conservation and Research Foundation.
• PCRF has handled 46 rescued pangolins over the past four years.
• GPS transmitters and structured rehab protocols fueled the survival-rate jump.
• Spatial data from over 60 wild pangolins now guides release decisions.

Operating conditions were brutal

• Six rangers and four team members once crammed into a two-bedroom apartment.
• Prediger lived out of her car for years, responding to rescues.
• A dedicated rehabilitation and research centre is nearly established.
• Kavango-Zambezi region remains a major poaching hotspot.

The bigger ecological picture matters

• A single pangolin can eat up to 15,000 insects nightly.
• Healthy populations reduce crop loss and boost grass availability.
• PCRF documented 950 species on one study site in three years.
• Prediger tied pangolin protection to the One Health concept.