The 20 Seconds That Saved a Pangolin

Article by Kalai Vanan, CEO of ACRES and member of the Singapore Pangolin Working Group

It was a typical night shift in 2014 — at least, a typical one for my partner and me. We were about 16 hours into a 32-hour shift, tired but functioning on routine. We had picked up several injured birds and were heading back to ACRES along the Pan Island Expressway. Driving the rescue van meant keeping to 70 km/h in the left lane — steady, predictable, uneventful.

We were already thinking ahead: quick triage, short rest, then back out again.

As we passed the Adam Road exit and approached the BKE slip road—a wide S-curve bend—something at the edge of my vision caught my eye.

It was unmistakable.

A pangolin.

He was on the left verge of the exit, attempting to cross the three-lane slip road.

Most rescues begin with a call. You get details. You plan your approach. You think through risks and containment. This was not one of those rescues. This was five seconds and a moving vehicle.

BKE Exit (Google Earth 2014)

My mind split into two voices:

• Do we keep driving — the safest choice for traffic?

• Or do we stop on a blind bend and risk creating a hazard for everyone behind us?
  

Before I made my decision, the pangolin made one for himself — he crossed the slip road and disappeared into the bushes on the far side. Relief lasted about one second. The direction he was heading told me exactly what would happen next.

He was heading for the expressway.

Traffic was heavy. He had approximately 20 seconds to make it safely across the road.

I switched on the hazard lights and tapped the horn to alert drivers as I slowed the van on the bend. My partner tracked the animal while I checked the mirrors repeatedly. When the gap looked just barely acceptable, I stopped and ran.

There were guard rails to negotiate and uneven ground to cross. The pangolin was already near the shoulder, just meters from fast traffic. No miracle was going to intervene here.

As I approached, my shadow fell over him. Instead of curling up, he anchored himself — claws dug deep into the soil. Pangolins are far stronger than they look. For a moment, he would not budge. There was no time for finesse. I pulled with everything I had until he released his grip.

Holding on to his tail while supporting his body*, I turned back towards the van.

My partner had the carrier ready before I reached the road edge. We secured him, closed the doors, and moved off within seconds.

No phone call had brought us there.

No report had warned us.

No one else even knew he was trying to cross.

But that night, one pangolin did not become a statistic.

More than a decade later, I still think about that stretch of road whenever I drive past it. Would I handle it differently today? Probably. Experience changes how you assess risk. But given those exact seconds, those exact conditions, and that exact animal — I believe we made the only decision we could.

And it mattered.

A screenshot from Kalai's phone video

Another Night, Another Crossing

Fast forward to 2021, during another night shift, we received a call about a pangolin sighting in Bukit Batok. By the time we arrived, the animal was nowhere to be seen. After searching the area without success, we decided to head back to ACRES.

Wildlife rescuers learn to accept these outcomes. Not every call ends with an animal safely secured. Sometimes you arrive just minutes too late — or just minutes too early.

As we drove along Bukit Timah Road on our return journey, a familiar feeling crept in — that quiet surge of alertness that comes when something doesn’t quite fit the scene ahead. And there it was again. Another pangolin. Another road edge. Another crossing attempt.

Déjà vu.

This time, we were able to stop safely, contain the animal, and secure it. Two different nights. Two different years. The same risk repeated on different stretches of road.

Wildlife rescues and the Hope going forward.

Over the years, ACRES has rescued hundreds of Sunda pangolins and has also responded to many roadkill cases. Each incident—rescue or recovery—contributes to a larger picture of how wildlife moves through Singapore’s changing landscape.

Pangolins are not appearing on roads by accident. They are moving between habitat patches, following old routes now interrupted by highways, slip roads, drains, and urban development. What looks like a random roadside encounter is often part of a much longer journey the animal is trying to complete.

Some make it across.

Some don’t.

Some are seen just in time.

We are grateful to have reached many of them in the nick of time. But rescue alone is not the long-term solution. The real goal is a landscape where wildlife does not have to gamble with traffic just to reach the next patch of suitable habitat.

Better ecological planning, safer crossings, connected green corridors, and public awareness all matter. Each improvement reduces the number of animals forced into dangerous road encounters.

Because while every rescue has a story, the best outcome is when a crossing happens safely, unseen, and without needing us at all.

*Kalai is a professional wildlife rescuer. Do not attempt to handle any wildlife on your own. We advise the public to contact ACRES or NParks for all wildlife-related cases.