A critically endangered pangolin named Plum was rescued in a daring sting and flown to safety thanks to conservation heroes. Her story is one of hope, teamwork, and the power of urgent action to save a life.
South Africa (20 July 2025) – In a country already stretched thin protecting its wildlife, every life saved is a small miracle. On July 10th, 2025, one of those miracles came wrapped in overlapping scales, weighing just under 7kg, and breathing shallowly in a box seized during a high-stakes sting operation.
Her name is Plum, and she’s a pangolin, the most illegally trafficked mammal in the world.
Suspected poachers were intercepted at a shopping mall parking area in Musina, near South Africa’s border with Zimbabwe. Law enforcement and anti-poaching units moved quickly, pouncing on the handover. Two suspects were arrested, and a frightened Plum was recovered. But the clock was already ticking; she was in critical condition and needed help. Fast.
Enter the heroes.
“We were contacted about a poached pangolin needing retrieving from the poachers,” says Emma De Jager, Co-owner and Director of Umoya Khulula Wildlife Centre. “We immediately contacted The Bateleurs to see if they could get us to the sting operation as fast as possible so we could retrieve the Pangolin and get her… to the correct medical facility… in the shortest amount of time.”
Driving from their location would have taken over five hours, time Plum didn’t have. So pilot Lloyd Rogers of The Bateleurs, a volunteer network of conservation aviators, answered the call without hesitation.
“We took off from Tzaneen at 08:30 in the morning,” Rogers recalls. “The ‘meeting’ point of the traffickers… was in the parking lot of a Musina shopping mall. It didn’t take long… before we knew it, the attack dogs and anti-poaching units were onto the 2 suspects.”
The pangolin, later affectionately named Plum, was handed over into police custody and then booked out into the care of the rescue team. With great care, she was loaded onto the aircraft and flown directly to Provet Wildlife Services & Animal Hospital in Hoedspruit, a facility known for its specialised wildlife ICU.
Upon landing, Dr Debbie English and her team were waiting.
“An initial examination was done,” says Rogers, listing off the intensive procedures: “X-rays, blood samples, microchip, supplements through a tube into her stomach…”
Thanks to their rapid response and expert care, Plum survived the ordeal.
“She is now undergoing ICU and will come to rehabilitation later this week,” confirms De Jager. “Once she is back in full health, we will be able to release her back to the wild. With the aid of The Bateleurs, we saved Plum’s life.”
It’s easy to forget, sometimes, that we’re still in a war against wildlife trafficking. But stories like this remind us that it’s a fight worth showing up for, and that teamwork, urgency, and compassion save lives.
“This rescue mission had a very good outcome for the greater good of Plum,” says Rogers, humbly. “Being able to help in my way is very rewarding.”
Plum’s rescue is one success story in a sea of quiet, often tragic, wildlife crimes. But it’s also proof that, with enough heart and cooperation, there’s still hope for South Africa’s most vulnerable creatures.
Let Plum’s name live on not just as a pangolin who made it, but as a reminder of what’s possible when good people step up.
Want to help?
Support the lifesaving work of Umoya Khulula Wildlife Centre and the volunteer pilots of The Bateleurs, because every pangolin matters.
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