Pangolins are nocturnal, scaly anteaters. They are the most trafficked animal in the world and are currently red-listed as endangered by the IUCN. They are so rare that I have never seen one in all my decades of safari travel.

In 2023, I arranged to visit a protected reserve in Namibia where pangolins might be found. The reserve is enclosed by security fencing and patrolled by rangers to prevent poaching. The reserve also has cheetahs, leopards, giraffes, and zebras, so we would have plenty to see if we didn’t find a pangolin. 

Sean and Gerry, a lovely family from Ireland, accompanied me on this mission. Our first outing also included two other tourists. The guide drove the five of us through the reserve, stopping at various animals. He then spotted a leopard. It walked out of the bush, laid down in a muddy ditch, and slept. 

Just then, word came over the radio that a pangolin had been spotted in a different part of the reserve. The driver asked if we wanted to go there. 

Sean, Gerry, and I gave a resounding “Yes!” 

The other two in the van said, “Absolutely not. We are here to see leopards”

So we stayed and watched the sleeping leopard. After five long minutes, and with the sun now setting, the tourists said they had seen enough and we could leave. 

We thanked them and cried, “Let’s go!” to the driver. His response was to make a careful seventeen-point turn, ratchet the jeep into first gear, and rocket away at a cautious, proper 5 mph.

Eventually, we arrived at the other side of the reserve. My vision had been to photograph the pangolin at a low angle with nothing behind him. I had my 600mm lens ready to go. Well, the pangolin was in tall grass and had other plans. The only way to photograph him was to be close and look down through the grass. I knew the shoot was a disaster when the only clear shot I had was when the pangolin walked between Sean’s legs.

That night, I considered possible scenarios if we had another chance with this amazing animal. If we can only photograph the pangolin from a close-up, I would try to use my “Turtle-Cam 2000” (an homage to Harry Potter’s flying broom), which I designed and have used to film baby sea turtles at ground level.

The next day, we told our guide that we would like to be the only people in the jeep, if possible. We didn’t need to see leopards, and we could wait at the lodge until the pangolin was sighted. That way, we could quickly go directly to the pangolin.

At 3 o’clock, we got the word: The pangolin was out! We piled into the jeep, and our guide once again puttered along at an excruciating 5 mph. By the time we arrived, the sun was sinking behind the mountains.

The pangolin was wandering through a primarily clear meadow. I grabbed my Turtle-Cam 2000 and was able to film the pangolin at eye level from about two feet away. If disturbed, a pangolin can roll into an impenetrable ball, so I was careful to stay out of his line of sight. He walked to a clearing, climbed a small termite hill, went in one of the holes to feed, and then circled the whole mound.

As I was filming, I then heard someone say, “He’s heading for the road!” 

This would be my chance to get a long-lens shot with a clear background. I looked for the jeep and realized we were now 100 meters away! I would never make it in time. 

As I started running back, I heard Gerry yell, “I got your back, Boy-o!” 

And there she was, running toward me with my 600mm lens. About 10 feet away, her foot caught a rock and the lens flew into my waiting arms, like the scene in The Patriot when the Reverend (René Auberjonois) throws the loaded rifle to Gabriel Martin (Heath Ledger). I dropped to the ground, focused, and began filming the pangolin.

It was extraordinary!