‘They are so handsome’: the unusual day in the life of a pangolin carer

At a wildlife centre in Mozambique, trafficked animals are fed, nursed, taken for walks and eventually released back to the wild. Vet Mercia Angela describes what it's like to bond with these rare and charismatic mammals

I had never seen a pangolin before I started working with them in Mozambique's Gorongosa national park. They are the only mammal in the world covered with scales. I think they are so handsome - just seeing them makes me fall in love.

If you have never seen a pangolin, they have a cone-shaped head and snout, four short legs, small eyes and a brilliant sense of smell. Their front claws are long to help them dig for food in the ground. They have a long sticky tongue but no teeth. When they feel threatened, they curl up in a ball to protect the parts of their bodies that do not have scales.