Shillong, October 20 — Camera traps placed by researchers of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) have recorded the critically endangered Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) close to Shillong in Meghalaya — the first time the species has been recorded in the institute's study area, WII said, in a report carried by IANS.

The record comes from WII's ongoing project "Assessment of Mammalian Assemblages in Meghalaya", which is focused on the Riat Laban and Laitkor reserve forests, located right on the urban edges of Shillong, the institute said.

WII said these peri-urban forests harbour a diverse assemblage of wildlife. Alongside the pangolin, its cameras also captured the Large Indian Civet, Leopard Cat, Masked Palm Civet, Yellow-throated Marten, Indian Crested Porcupine and Kalij Pheasant.

Finding a critically endangered species like the Chinese pangolin sharing space with such a rich suite of carnivores and small mammals proves that these urban forest patches are invaluable biodiversity strongholds that must be strictly protected, WII said. City-fringe forests are often overlooked, the institute noted, yet they act as critical ecological refuges for species threatened by habitat fragmentation and urban development.

The Chinese pangolin is native to the northern Indian subcontinent, northern Southeast Asia and southern China, and it has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2014.

Sources: IANS; Wildlife Institute of India (WII); IUCN Red List.