There are wildlife encounters that stay with us because of what we saw, and others that can change what we think we know about animals. We’ve explored before why encounters with wild animals can affect us so profoundly, but Sarah Marshall’s account below of her experience with a rescued pangolin in South Africa raises another fascinating question: might the connection sometimes be felt on both sides?
It’s always tempting to attribute human feelings to animals. I tend to hold back from anthropomorphising, but sometimes the similarities are too strong to ignore.
While researching a story about pangolins in South Africa a few years ago, I had one of my most astounding, tearful and surprising wildlife encounters. Several poached and compromised pangolins had been recently tagged and released back into the wild. I was told the female we were monitoring would likely disappear into her burrow once we’d weighed and checked her.
What happened next amazed both me and the research team. As I crouched on the ground to take a photograph, the curious female came towards me and rested her front legs on my lap. As she sniffed me, I sat motionless for what felt like a wonderful eternity. Even as we moved away, she followed me.
After checking camera trap footage from the pangolin’s burrow, we later realised she had recently given birth. Perhaps her hormones had been in such a flux, she’d felt drawn to the strange two-legged creature that had appeared on her doorstep.
But I couldn’t help thinking how incredible it was that a creature who’d been so abused by humans could once again find trust. Perhaps I was overthinking it, but I do believe we underestimate the emotional intelligence of these animals.
What do you think? Have you ever shared a moment with a wild animal that made you question what it might have been thinking or feeling?
Sarah Marshall is a writer and photographer specialising in wildlife and conservation. She has spent the past 25 years exploring Africa and other wild corners of the world, and also works as an expedition guide.
Around the campfire
Perhaps the reason Sarah’s encounter feels so powerful lies not only in what the pangolin did, but in what the moment stirred in her. Why do encounters with wild animals affect us so deeply, do you think, and why do some remain astonishingly vivid years later? Morgan Trimble explores the question in the article Why do we love wildlife? but we’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject too.
Let us know. And with your permission we may share some of your comments in a future Shamwari, or in the magazine itself 😊
