Pangolin spotted at MRT station, commuters tail it to ensure it stays out of harm's way

While waiting for her friends at an MRT station near Bukit Timah on the morning of April 14, a woman caught a rare glimpse of a pangolin scurrying about. 

Intrigued by its appearance – especially since pangolins are nocturnal creatures – the woman, Ms Purnima Kine, whipped out her phone and took pictures of it. 

According to Mothership.sg, the actual location the pangolin was spotted isn’t revealed so as to protect the endangered animal.

Ms Purnima said she was curious about where the pangolin was headed and followed it – all while keeping her distance.

"I just wanted to make sure that it didn’t get hurt in any way," she said.

Two other passers-by noticed the pangolin and they too tailed the creature.

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At one point, the pangolin went towards the escalator and Ms Purnima said she had to use her foot to discourage the poor-sighted creature from going in that direction as it was likely to get hurt.

Pangolins generally have poor eyesight, and depend on their sense of smell and hearing to locate prey.

The pangolin eventually crawled towards a ramp that goes down to the street level and disappeared into the bushes.

Ms Purnima said it was her first time seeing a pangolin up close.

"What worries me is that it's a critically endangered species. And I know there's so many protective laws against harming these creatures but at the same time, what do you do when one walks up to you?,” she said. 

“I was just hoping (it) wouldn’t go in the streets because (of the) traffic, but (it) ended up going into the bushes, which was fine."

Purnima shared with Mothership that the whole incident lasted around 15 to 20 minutes.

She posted her photos to the Nature Society Facebook group and informed the Pangolin Working Group about the sighting.

Formed in 2014, the Pangolin Working Group keeps track of pangolins spotted in Singapore – to understand the animal’s behaviour and keep track of its pangolin population.

On top of being threatened by urbanisation leading to a loss of their natural habitat, pangolins are often found dead as roadkill in Singapore.

Globally, pangolins are hunted for their meat and scales. Their dwindling population is worsened by the species' slow reproduction rate.

If you see a pangolin, you may inform the Pangolin Working Group.

Keep a distance from the pangolin and do not approach, chase or corner it as that may stress the shy animal.