THE FUSE

Just in time for World Pangolin Day! South Africa’s only indigenous pangolin species has just gone digital…now you can meet one face-to-face at home!

South Africa (21 February 2026) – Honouring World Pangolin Day on 21 February, the Habitat Nature Parks Foundation (HNPF) and the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital (JWVH) have launched a free augmented reality app that lets anyone project a Temminck’s ground pangolin into their real-world space using their phone!

A real-size pangolin on your carpet. In your classroom. Next to your couch. And you can talk to it.

Temminck’s ground pangolins (Smutsia temminckii) are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. They are under increasing pressure from illegal wildlife trafficking and habitat loss, yet most South Africans have not had the luck of seeing one in real life.

Using 3D modelling and conversational AI trained on scientific data, the app allows users to ask the pangolin questions about how it survives, what it eats, what threatens it, and why it matters. The responses are educational and reflect real research.

But there’s something especially important about how it’s designed.

If you get too close or try to invade its space, the pangolin curls into a protective ball and becomes unresponsive – exactly as it would in the wild. The experience is intentionally designed to reinforce real wildlife boundaries, making an important point about boundaries and respect for wild creatures.

“Conservation often fails because people feel disconnected from what they’re being asked to
protect,” says Ulrico Grech-Cumbo, Founder of the Habitat Nature Parks Foundation and its
content production studio, Habitat XR.

“How can people care about an animal they’ll likely never see? Immersive technology bridges
that divide. When someone stands face-to-face with a Temminck’s ground pangolin in their own
living room, an abstract issue becomes personal. Conservation is a chain reaction: enforcement
protects individuals, empathy protects systems. This app is a part of our broader work to move
the system – turning indifference into connection at scale.”

JWVH has treated more than 200 Temminck’s ground pangolins rescued from the illegal wildlife trade over the past nine years. They see the impact of trafficking up close, treating animals that arrive traumatised, dehydrated, injured.

“The team at Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital are doing extraordinary, often unseen
work to rehabilitate pangolins rescued from trafficking,” says Grech-Cumbo. “When we saw the level of care and expertise involved, we felt a responsibility to act. We pushed hard to get this first version into the public domain in honour of the team as well as to mark World Pangolin Day. If we can help every South African meet their only indigenous pangolin species – even digitally – we believe proximity can translate into meaningful protection and national pride.”

The initiative was initially funded by the Habitat Nature Parks Foundation, and future support will
allow the partnership to recover development costs and scale the impact of the Wild Voices
Series, which uses immersive technology to foster empathy and spark action for wildlife and ecosystems at scale.

The app, ‘Wild Voices: Pangolin’, is free to download from 21 February in recognition of World Pangolin Day. It also includes optional in-app donations for those who want to support JWVH’s rescue and rehabilitation work.

Apple App Store: www.habitatxr.com/wvp-ios | Google Play Store: www.habitatxr.com/wvp-android

The initiative bridges the gap between emergency rescue and public understanding.

“We see the devastating impact of wildlife trafficking on pangolins every day. Yet many South
Africans have never seen one – or even know what a pangolin is. Innovative, ethical technology
allows us to extend our work beyond the hospital and into people’s homes. Awareness is one of
the most powerful tools we have in combating illegal trade. By making pangolins accessible at
scale, this initiative helps transform curiosity into care,” says Dr Karin Lourens, Co-Founder and Head Veterinarian at Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital.

Sources: Habitat XR.

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