It was a very hot day. Unlike every day, Bhunte was tired and sleepy. He was clumsily walking behind his herd. His herd stopped to forage in the patch of thickets. He somehow managed to sneak out. He was not even far from his herd- he came across a very strange mammal. Full of scales, walking on his hind legs and was hunting with his long, a very long tongue. Bhunte was so curious. He went near to his weird friend and smelled. When Bhunte’s trunk touched the scales- he abruptly rolled up into a ball! Bhunte was startled! ‘Hey, I am a pangolin! Do not threaten me!’ Bhunte was like “pan…pan…a what?” Then he remembered his mom when she shared a story about an old pangolin she met on her way, many years back. He remembered her saying “Bhunte, there are only 8 kinds (species) of a wonderful creature- called pangolin- a mammal covered with the very hard armor-like scales and have a very different gait. Not even lions and tigers can bite those scales. They too secrete noxious acid when threaten. They have a very poor eyesight but a good sense of smell and hearing- like us. They feed on insects with their tongues which can be as long as their body- but they cannot chew. Sadly, more than 100,000 of them are hunted for ‘medicinal’ purposes, their scales and meat! I really feel sad about them- they too are facing threats like us and your uncles. If you come across them- let them go safely- understood?” Bhunte felt sad. Bhunte almost forgot that he just met one of them. Bhunte instantly looked down to see his pangolin friend. Alas, he was long gone! Except a maimed ant crawling through the grasses- Bhunte could see nothing. Bhunte was happy that he did not disturb his ‘pengulling’ friend. But, he hoped that their kind remains on the Earth- forever…

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