Visiting Uganda's Pangolin Rescue Center

Visiting Uganda’s Pangolin Rescue Center

If you’re coming to Uganda for gorilla trekking, you can easily add on a visit to the Ugandan Pangolin Rescue Center!

Dedicated to rehabilitating rescued pangolins and returning them to the wild, the center offers a rare opportunity to learn about these extraordinary, elusive mammals while supporting their conservation. And often even getting to see these rare animals!!

Because every animal’s welfare comes first, sightings are never guaranteed but if you’re lucky enough to see one, it’s an unforgettable experience. We saw 3 when I went for the first time! They were SO cute and it was very fun to watch them run around, climb trees and interact in the tea fields. It was very fun to photograph them! They didn’t seem to mind us being there at all.

I was shocked to learn that Pangolins are the most trafficked wild mammals on Earth.

Visiting Uganda's Pangolin Rescue Center

Sadly, they are targeted for their scales and meat despite international protections.

The Uganda Pangolin Rescue Centre is working tirelessly to rescue animals from the illegal wildlife trade, provide specialized care, and give them a second chance in the wild.

So your visit doesn’t just offer a glimpse of one of Africa’s most unique creatures (hello, a mammal with scales?!) it directly contributes to their survival. Let’s keep the pangolins from going extinct!

It’s free to visit but they do request a donation! Donations help fund veterinary care, rehabilitation, and the safe release of rescued pangolins back into protected habitats.

They also have a small shop where you can buy t-shirts, stickers or small wooden-carved pangolins.

Pangolin Fun Facts

Pangolins are the only mammals covered in large, protective scales. Their scales are made of keratin, the same material as human fingernails and hair.
When threatened, pangolins curl into a tight ball, using their tough scales as armor to protect their soft undersides.
Pangolins have long, sticky tongues that can be longer than their bodies. They use them to catch ants and termites.
A single pangolin can eat millions of insects each year, making them important for controlling insect populations.
Pangolins have no teeth. Instead, they swallow small stones and sand that help grind up food in their stomachs.
Despite their armored appearance, pangolins are excellent climbers, and some species spend much of their lives in trees.
Other species are burrowers, digging deep tunnels where they sleep during the day.
Pangolins are mostly nocturnal, meaning they are most active at night.
Baby pangolins are called pups. They often ride on their mother’s tail or back when she travels.
Pangolins are generally solitary animals, coming together mainly to mate.
They are among the most heavily trafficked wild mammals in the world, threatened by illegal hunting and habitat loss.
All eight pangolin species are protected under international trade agreements, and conservation efforts are focused on reducing illegal trade and protecting their habitats.

We had so much fun photographing these cute little guys!!

Impossibly Cute!

Pangolins are fascinating animals that play a vital role in their ecosystems by naturally controlling insect populations, making them important for healthy forests and grasslands. I also happen to think they are pretty adorable!!

The Pangolin Rescue Center was just 15 minutes from our hotel in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest! So we stopped by before checking into our hotel the night before gorilla trekking!