Properframe Loc: US Virginia

Okay so every picture tells a story but this is a crazy story to go with the pictures. I was reminded of this when reading a response to me earlier today and I thought I would search for the photos as it seems to be of interest. I already was aware it is pretty rare as the guides all went crazy and came racing to see.
It was almost dusk when our guide told us to hold on. What followed made the opening sequence of Rat Patrol look like some Nuns driving a golf cart to Bingo. When you are holding on to all your gear with both hands you have nothing left to hold on with in an open vehicle when you blast over a hill at 50mph.
So we arrive and 4 guides from 2 other vehicles are there. We slide in and then 2 more guide only vehicles and 1 last vehicle with a guide and 2 guests. All the other guests were already back at the lodge getting ready for dinner. Everyone gets out and starts walking around the area! Crap we had been watching the food chain work overtime all day long !! No one gives it a second thought. I am not certain what we are even looking for as I never heard clearly as we blasted down the road. I thought I might have heard "Penguin" which makes me pretty stupid.
And there it is coming out of a bush. A prehistoric looking endangered Pangolin. Sort of like a cross between an Aardvark and an Armadillo. The guides are so excited it lets us catch on to the magnitude of it pretty quickly. Our guide, which was the senior guide, hadn't seen one for 2 years. Several had NEVER seen one. On and on.
So today I realized I had not come across my shots because they were on my D810 and have been hiding in another directory since last July. I found them this afternoon. Almost dark, used a 24-70 2.8 and it still was pushing ISO 4000. So here follows shots of a Pangolin. I was toasted back at the bar as the guy whose boot the Pangolin walked across. No shot of that as I was pretty much frozen in place grinning and holding my breath as it approached. Soon after that he went down a hole - which is often where they stay apparently. Our guide had a GoPro and stuck it down the opening to get video of him digging. They were really beside themselves. High fives all around and then we roared off to the lodge for drinks.
Double download for best view - they are noisy shots.
P.S. I think just last week they found tons of Pangolin scales in Hong Kong because some jackwagons think it makes pee pee hard as rock. What an ignorant species we are sometimes.

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Feet for perspective

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hookedupin2005 Loc: Northwestern New Mexico

Wow! That is one of those "Once in a Lifetime" thingies!

repleo Loc: Boston

Yes - nine TONS of Pangolin scales seized in Hong Kong. How many of these creatures were slaughtered to make up NINE tons of scales. No wonder they are scarce.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/01/world/asia/pangolin-smuggling-hong-kong.html

Properframe Loc: US Virginia

Thanks for linking the article. What a shame. The article said officials estimated 14,000 Pangolins were slaughtered. Used in "traditional Chinese medicine". What a Crock. At some point the communist Chinese need to embrace at least the 19th century. Africa is being raped and plundered - Ivory, Rhino horn, these scales.

danniel Loc: North Port, Florida

Ant eater / Armadillo hybrid ? trained as a spy by the military ?
Wow, that is an amazing creature, and very detailed shots mate.
Great captures, wish I had been there :)

fergmark Loc: norwalk connecticut

Thats something. Glad you had your trusty 810 for the job. Glad I stumbled across your post!