Pangoline has two tapes: first, the only mammals that have scales in the world, and secondly, and it is one of the most smuggled animals globally. Regardless of most people know a little about them, but the new documentary of Netflix “Bangolim: Colo’s trip” This is expected to change.
The 90 -minute movie follows the three -month -old Bangoulim story, Colu, rescued from the illegal wildlife trade, and the slow and intensive process to return it to nature in South Africa.
Director Pipa Elereich, who is famous for the Oscar -winning Oscar, says.Professor of octopus“.
The legs creature in the question is Gareth Thomas, a volunteer for preservation that participated in the secret process that saved Colo.
ELRICH says that the rescue Banggoline rehabilitation is “an incredibly intense process.” They rarely eat a prisoner, so they need daily aspects, and sometimes up to six hours a day, to feed on ants and termites. This daily walking is not only for food: it is also preparing for Pangupim for pictures, sounds and scents for their new habitats and helping him overcome the shock of families.
“Gareth’s rehabilitation team asked whether he would take Colo to nature and liberate him. I do not know if he realizes that he would be the 18 months of his life.”
The dual film in The Wild Savanna of the Lapalala Reserve follows four hours in the Johannesburg engine, which overwhelmed the viewer in the world of Pangoline.
“They have magical quality, they are mammals, but they are covered with standards. You don’t want to look at Pangoline only as mammals in the most evading world. You want to be seen as small and unique creatures,” Elrich says.
Deep connection
Pragropim-Terrestrial, also known as Cabo’s Temminuck or Pangupim Pangupim, is one of the eight species that have been found in the world and the most widely distributed of the four species in Africa, with a region extending from South Africa to Sudan.
When Colo arrived at the Johannesburg Wildlife Hospital, General Gigima called him, which means “running” in Zulu, where the Bangolim was very lower than weight but he was full of energy he was trying to continue to escape while walking for feeding. During the six months in Savana, Thomas called Colo Pangolim, a variation from “easy” word in Zulu, to try to calm him down.
Thomas summer grown in the wilderness of South Africa and Zimbabwe, where he was born, but after school, he “separated” from nature, and spent most of his time in the city.
“I had a certain arrest to be there again,” he recalls. Then, in 2019, after began to photograph wildlife, work began as a volunteer in the African Working Group and Johannesburg Hospital for Veterinary Life.
ELRICH says: Thomas himself filmed by the film, says Elrich: Pangolins is incredibly sensitive creatures, so ELRICH says that the production team was limited in photography and relies a lot on Thomas videos for Kulu Rehabilitation and Love.
“I realized that he had a very deep bond with these animals and understands them,” says Elrich. “He understands how to get these very intimate images, making you almost feel that you see the world through Bangolim’s eyes.”
Although viewers may notice the objective similarities between the “octopus teacher” and “Colo’s Journey” – both the exploitation between human relations and wildlife and our emotional relationship with nature – ELRICH says that completely different ecosystems have changed their approach to the movie.
“One of the things that was very wonderful (the octopus teacher) is that you are going to water, and that it immediately takes you to another world,” she explained. “Being in the earthly world, even if you don’t know the bush, is more connected.”
Terrorism trafficking
The biggest threat to Pangoline is the search for theft of illegal wildlife trade, which moves 20 billion dollars, where their scales, meat and body parts are sold to traditional medicine, and their skin used in skin products.
According to traffic NGOs, paragoline is smuggled on a large scale to China and the United States. With the presence of three of the four Asian species threatened with extinction and the difficulty of producing captive banoulin, the theft was increased in Africa: between 2017 and 2019, more than half of the illegal seizures of Pangoline in Asia of African Bangules, with a total of 244,600 pounds of individual animals.
Ray Yansen, founder of the African Labor Group in Bangules, who appears in the documentary, witnessed this threat directly: the secret agent of the animals helped save 301 Banguoline, including Colo, between 2016 and 2024, which led to the arrest of nearly 700 wildlife dealer.
Before 2017, Jansen says that prisons in South Africa were punished with small fines instead of arrest. But in recent years, the owners of conservation, like Yansen, began to provide certificates from court experts, which led to rulings of up to 10 years.
“This has sent a great warning message to these Banglain travelers,” says Yansen.
Dr. Karen Lorenz, co -founder and chief veterinarian at the Johannesburg Wildlife Hospital in an uncomfortable place, says that Bangules, who was rescued from the wildlife trade is difficult to treat and rehabilitate.
“Since they did not eat, they have no enough protein,” says Lorenz, adding that this causes liquid accumulation in the lungs. “So the pancreas stops working, so they cannot digest food either.”
“It was an acute educational curve at the beginning,” Lorenz says, adding that he had no medical guidelines for Bangguline in the first hospital, but over the years, the survival rate exceeded 40 % to 80 %.
The photography team also worked with Lapalala Wilderness, 48,000 hectares where Kulu was finally released for photography licenses and coordination with the site’s tourist attractions to ensure the safety of Pangolins and those who hold it.
Although the theft of fishermen is an inevitable topic when talking about Banglain, ELRICH has taken the deliberate option to highlight the emotional side of these well -known creatures. “Caution should be taken with a model formation, and I am sure that this is the criticism that we will get,” says Elrich.
Lorenz said he preferred the documentary to focus on the Banggolan trade in Africa, which she considers “very necessary.” She also expressed concern about Colo excessively exposed to people during filming. Elrish says Thomas was “incredibly strict” about when the additional photographer could photograph; “I only think I photographed two with Colo, most of the time was just Gareth,” she added.
Initially, Yansen also wanted to focus on the wildlife trade, a subject close to his heart – but after watching the documentary, he changed his opinion. “It is a much better angle for focus,” he says. “I hope this is a great awareness and that the world can fall in love with these amazing creatures.”
New threat – and a new hope
Although the ghost hunting is still a major threat to Banggoline worldwide, Yansen says that the electrical fences in fishing reserves are now “responsible for the vast majority of Bangulins’s death in Timolin” in South Africa, which shows in a terrifying scene when Colo runs almost to one, except for the last minute by Thomas.
Along with the Thomas and Lapalala Wildness Reserve, Jansen works on a large -scale study on electrical fences and exploring new designs that can save wildlife.
The new “Pangolinarium”, which is run by the African Banglain Working Group in La Palala Wilders, was opened earlier this year – a type of transitional house for Bangoline between the hospital and the starting point, and the network of networks for memorization. Although it can include many Banglain, each one will still need to accompany dedicated to their daily meal.
Despite the global preservation efforts, the number of papers is declining, as all eight species are at risk, threatened or threatened by IUCN.
“Pangoline is in fact the symbol of fragility that we see in each other and in the nature around us,” says Elrich.
She expects the audience to communicate with Colo’s story and feels motivated to protect them and its environment: “There is no simply like Bangolim.”
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