Photographers’ Incredible Pangolin Photos Help Save Endangered Animals

Oct 06, 2025

Jeremy Gray

Split image: Left side shows a pangolin walking on the ground against a black background. Right side features a close-up of a pangolin’s face and overlapping scales, highlighting its unique texture.

The Remembering Wildlife photography book series has released its 10th book, 10 Years of Remembering Wildlife. The series has raised nearly $1.6 million for wildlife conservation to date and features incredible wildlife photos from some of the world’s most talented and renowned photographers. This milestone book focuses on pangolins, one of Earth’s most threatened species.

10 Years of Remembering Wildlife features images donated by leading wildlife photographers, including Marsel van Oosten, Frans Lanting, Greg du Toit, Jonathan Scott, and Angela Scott, to name a few. The cover photo was captured by photographer Tristan Dicks.

A pangolin on a dark background with text overlay: "10 Years of Remembering Wildlife." Below, it says "Wildlife Photographers United, Foreword by Jonathan & Angela Scott. — Cover photo by Tristan Dicks

While the showcase species this time is the elusive, unusual, and adorable pangolin, the photo book includes many of Remember Wildlife‘s favorite photos from the prior nine books, which featured diverse subjects like tigers, elephants, great apes, rhinos, and more.

As for pangolins, they have been around for 80 million years. Of the eight pangolin species on Earth, four live in Africa, and the rest live in Asia. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies some pangolin species as critically endangered, while others are endangered or vulnerable.

A pangolin with brown scales walks on the ground at night, surrounded by grass and vegetation, with a dark leafy background. — Photo by Shivang Mehta

A small animal on the back of a snake. — Photo by Suzi Eszterhas

A pangolin with brown, overlapping scales climbs between two tree trunks in a forested area, its long tail and claws gripping the bark. — Photo by Pete Oxford

A solitary pangolin covered in overlapping scales walks across a sandy, open landscape, its long tail extended behind it. The background is blurred, highlighting the animal in the foreground. — Photo by Naun Amable Silva

A young pangolin clings to the curled-up tail of an adult pangolin on the ground, surrounded by green grass and leaves. Both animals have overlapping, brownish scales covering their bodies. — Photo by Gregg Yan

Remembering Wildlife‘s purpose is to raise awareness and money to help projects that protect vulnerable species. Since the first title in the series, Remembering Wildlife has sold more than 55,000 books and donated $1.585 million to 80 projects in 34 different countries. Nearly 300 different photographers have contributed images to the cause so far.

“Pangolins are fascinating and endearing creatures, most closely related to mongooses and cats and each has its own individual character. The size of the illegal trade in pangolins may be higher than we know,” says photographer Margot Raggett MBE, founder and producer of Remembering Wildlife.

A pangolin walks on a forest floor covered with dry leaves and plants, surrounded by greenery and soft natural light. — Photo by Andy Skillen

A pangolin with brown, scaly armor walks on reddish soil at night, surrounded by dry grass and dark background. — Photo by Hannes Lochner

A baby pangolin clings to the back of an adult pangolin, both covered in overlapping scales, against a dark background. — Photo by Heshan Peiris

A pangolin with brown scales climbs along the branch of a tree with sparse red flowers, set against a blue sky. — Photo by Pete Oxford

A pangolin walking on sandy ground, its body covered in large, overlapping scales, with its tail extended and head low to the ground. The background is blurred in warm brown tones. — Photo by Todd Gustafson

A pangolin with brown, overlapping scales walks along a tree trunk in a forest, surrounded by leaves and greenery. — Photo by Marlon du Toit

A pangolin with large, overlapping scales walks on dry grass, its long tail trailing behind its body. The background is a mix of brown and beige tones. — Photo by Ben Cranke

A close-up of a pangolin with textured, overlapping scales, its head down and snout close to the ground, illuminated by warm, golden light. — Photo by Armand Grobler

It is estimated that a pangolin is taken from the wild by poachers every five minutes. Much of the demand for pangolins is driven by their scales, which are used for medicinal purposes, and their meat, which is a delicacy in certain Asian cultures. Pangolins also face other threats, including habitat destruction and electrocution. If a pangolin encounters an electric fence, its natural defense mechanism — curling up — means it wraps itself around the wire.

“This book raises awareness of the threats not only facing pangolins but also wildlife as a whole. Through sales of this book, we can raise funds to support those on the frontline protecting wildlife. My hope is that this book can remind us all just what will be lost if we don’t,” Raggett adds.