Pangolin Champions Program
In 2020, Save Pangolins launched the Pangolin Champions Program to support emerging leaders in the pangolin conservation landscape. Since its inception, we have accepted 12 passionate, committed and inspiring pangolin conservationists into our program. Our Champions comprise a global team of conservationists who have proven dedication to pangolins, have carved their own path in unchartered terrain and have unique and impactful contributions to these endangered species. It takes courage to be a Pangolin Champion and step foot into an area in conservation that is still underdeveloped and have the tenacity to work towards sustainable change.
Meet Our Champions
Camille Affana
Camille Affana holds an MBA in Management from ISM in Paris and after eight years as a finance professional, he decided to leave the private sector for conservation, anxious to make his contribution to the preservation of biodiversity. In 2016, he joined the Mentor-POP Fellowship Program in Cameroon, where he was involved in setting up strategies to reduce threats to pangolins. He now works as the country representative of Noé, a non-profit association for the protection of nature. His Champion project will support his continued education with a program through Yale University’s School of Environment, and a capacity building training workshop.
Divine Chakombera
Divine Chakombera advises Government Authorities and key stakeholders on tackling illegal wildlife trafficking in Zimbabwe. He has extensive legal experience and has devoted his expertise to finding sustainable solutions for conservation in Africa, particularly for pangolins. Divine is currently studying for his Master’s in Marine and Environmental Law at the University of Cape Town and his Champion project will focus on inspiring the next generation of law graduates to think critically about wildlife conservation and advocate for endangered species, particularly pangolins.
Charles Emogor
Charles Emogor is a National Geographic Explorer and PhD candidate in Zoology at the University of Cambridge. Charles is from Nigeria’s Cross River region and was first involved in gorilla conservation before moving on to pangolin conservation for his PhD research. He has a Bachelor’s in Forestry and Wildlife Management and recently completed his Master’s in Biodiversity Conservation and Management at the University of Oxford. His Champion project will focus on understanding local threats to white-bellied pangolins in Nigeria’s Cross River National Park to inform community-based conservation action.
Ichu Ichu Godwill
Ichu Ichu Godwill hails from Cameroon and is passionate about developing new methods for monitoring pangolins in the wild so we can better protect them. Ichu is currently pursuing a master’s degree at Mississippi State University. Ichu began his pangolin career when he was selected for the Mentor-POP Fellowship Program, by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in collaboration with the Zoological Society of London. His Champion project is focused on identifying efficient, rapid assessment methods to document pangolin occurrence at suspected sites in Central and West Africa.
Murthy Kantimahanti
Murthy Kantimahanti has been working in the Eastern Ghats landscape of South India for several years with an aim to protect the lesser known wildlife of the region through local community engagement. He mainly works outside protected areas where human-wildlife negative interactions occur, monitoring and providing education and intervention strategies. His Champion project will assess the presence or absence of Indian pangolins in human-dominated landscapes, understand local perceptions that rural communities have of pangolins, and assess human related threats in the region.
Jerry Kirensky
Jerry Kirensky currently works as Conservator of Takamanda National Park in Cameroon. He began his career working for the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife in Cameroon and was later appointed as Regional Controller of Forestry and Wildlife for the North West region of Cameroon. During his tenure as Regional Controller, he served as a Mentor-POP Fellow, where he learned key leadership qualities and developed innovative solutions to conservation barriers in Cameroon. His Champion project is in support of his PhD work researching pangolin populations in protected areas in Cameroon and using his studies to inform conservation action for pangolins.
Carla Mousset
Carla Mousset holds a Master’s degree in Biology of Populations and Ecosystems and a second Master’s degree in the Management and Conservation of Species in Trade. A graduate of the Mentor-POP Fellowship Program, she currently works as a Wildlife Forensic Regional Technical Advisor for TRACE, an international NGO that uses forensic science to investigate wildlife crime and support law enforcement efforts. Her Champion project will establish a Gabon Pangolin Working Group, aiming to bring together key stakeholders in Gabon, and strengthen pangolin conservation efforts.
Dr. Mark Ofua
Dr. Mark Ofua is a veterinarian, wildlife conservationist, and educator based in Lagos, Nigeria. He leads rescue, rehabilitation and release efforts for many of Nigeria’s most endangered species and is the director of Saint Mark’s Animal Rescue Foundation, Nigeria’s first pet rescue and adoption shelter. He is the founder of the Saint Mark’s/Lufasi Pangolin Rehabilitation Center, a first-of-its-kind facility dedicated to saving the world’s most trafficked mammal. His Champion project took him to South Africa, to receive formalized training from the Africa Pangolin Working Group in pangolin rehabilitation, rescue and release.
Elisa Panjang
Elisa Panjang is a young Malaysian conservation biologist working towards her PhD through Cardiff University and specializing in Sunda pangolin ecology and behavior. She holds a Master of Science in Ecological Processes from Universiti Malaysia Sabah. She is also working as a Pangolin Conservation Officer at Danau Girang Field Centre and has been involved in pangolin research, education and conservation for ten years. Her Champion project aims to build public support for pangolin conservation through continued advocacy and outreach.
Kumar Paudel
Kumar Paudel is the Co-Founder and Director of Greenhood Nepal, a science-driven conservation organization. He is a scholar-practitioner; conducts research to understand the species conservation problems and develop interventions on the ground. He grew up in a small mountain village in Nepal with pangolins, where he first developed his passion for pangolin conservation. His Champion project aims to fulfill the data gap on the pangolin trade in Nepal, enhance public engagement in pangolins and strengthen conservation awareness of the people to inspire them to save pangolins.
Tulshi Laxmi Suwal
Tulshi Laxmi Suwal co-founded the Small Mammals Conservation and Research Foundation and holds a Master’s in Zoology from Tribhuvan University, one of the oldest and largest universities of Nepal. Since 2008, she has been involved in research, conservation and safe rescue and release of pangolins in natural habitats. She has developed pangolin monitoring guidelines and conducted a national survey of pangolins, empowering local communities to become involved in pangolin conservation. Her Champions project is in support of her PhD work on the status, distribution, habitat and threats of pangolins in Nepal, understanding attitudes of rural communities and exploring activity patterns of pangolins across their range.
Yifu Wang
Yifu Wang currently works as a full time research assistant in Dr. Hannah Mumby’s lab at the University of Hong Kong studying human and wild boar interaction. She received her PhD in Geography from Cambridge University, and her PhD project focused on understanding pangolin trade in China. She recently worked for TRAFFIC International as a consultant assisting with their China’s Champion of Changes project. Yifu’s Pangolin Champion project will research the use of pangolin scales in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to inform conservation and intervention efforts.
