WATCH: Shocking moment wildlife guide kicks creature cherished by Prince William

HORRIFIC footage of a rare animal championed by Prince William being kicked by a field guide has sparked worldwide anger.

Shocking moment wildlife guide kicks Prince William’s cherished creature

The rare pangolin – a prehistoric-looking animal with armour-plated skin – rolls into a ball as the guide’s boot makes contact.

“No, no, no…” Scream out voices in the background while the pangolin, framed in a spotlight, writhes on the ground in South Africa’s famous Kruger National Park. 

The park is one of the best places in the world to see pangolins, a creature destined to go extinct before many people know its name, says Prince William. 

South African National Parks have launched an investigation into the incident after the 12-second clip appeared on YouTube. 

It has confirmed that a field guide on afixed term contract with Kruger National Park and based at the Punda Maria Camp had been “caught on camera kicking a pangolin while on a night drive with guests” on July 4. 

SANParks acting head of communications, William Mabasa, said: “Our guiding personnel’s role is to interpret nature to the guests who go on our activities in the Park on regular basis and we are concerned about the guide’s behaviour at a pangolin sighting as can be seen on the video footage currently trending on social media platforms.

“We have already suspended the guide and at the meantime we are in the process of investigating the case so that we can take appropriate disciplinary steps. 

PANGOLINGETTY

Pangolins are a rare animal that are savagely hunted for their meat and body parts

"The public will be kept informed of the development as we deal with this case until the end of it.” 

I hope the ranger’s leg rots off. What a disgusting piece of filth.

Animal lover

YouTube footage sparked outrage on social media, with calls for the guides’s dismissal and worse. 

One animal lover said: “I hope the ranger’s leg rots off. What a disgusting piece of filth." 

Another added: “Unfortunately, Africa and its wildlife is doomed when you have simpletons like that who are entrusted with its protection…” 

Showing a pangolin being kicked might garner more international help for an animal whose future is as tenuous as tigers, rhinos and the great apes. 

A huge demand for the pangolins’ bony scales in the Far East, where they are hailed as having magical health properties, has seen more than a million of the animals being captured and smuggled in recent times.

PANGOLIN MEAT FROZENGETTY

Pangolins are the world's most illegally traded mammal due to demand for its meat and scales

Their powdered scales are said to cure excessive nervousness, hysterical children crying as well as women possessed by devils and ogres. 

For the reptilian looking pangolin, the armour-plated scales are its defence from predators.

The overlapping scales are made from keratin – the same substance as human toe and finger nails – and although creating a formidable barrier against a lion or leopard when it rolls into a ball, they offer little resistance from wildlife poachers looking for quick money. 

The value of pangolin scales has soared from around £3.50 a pound in the early 1990s to £60 today. 

Such huge profits have seen vast numbers plucked from the wild, creating one of the most serious conservation issues of the age. 

Two of Asia’s pangolins are listed as critically endangered and two endangered. All four African species are described as vulnerable.

With one pangolin killed every hour, there are fears that two of the eight species will become extinct within the next decade, a plight that has touched the heart of the Duke of Cambridge who recently recorded a video to highlight their threatened existence. “The Pangolin runs the risk of becoming extinct before most people have even heard of them,” he warns.

Pangolins – their name derives from the Malay word “pengguling”, meaning something that rolls up – were once thought to be related to armadillos but new taxonomic research suggests they are closer to the carnivores, although they have no teeth and rely on stones to break up their insect food. 

Gabon: pangolins killed for their bodyparts

Philip Mansbridge, UK Director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, today called on SANParks to investigate the video contents thoroughly.

“We rely on the many loyal and devoted rangers and guides to ensure the well being and safety of wildlife in our national parks,” he said. 

“We hope that any alleged incident where this may not be the case will be investigated thoroughly.

PANGOLIN SCALES FOR SALEGETTY

The value of pangolin scales has soared from around £3.50 a pound in the early 1990s to £60 today

“Sadly, the pangolin is one of our most threatened species, being the world's most illegally traded mammal due to demand for its meat and scales.

“We should all be doing everything we can to protect the vulnerable wildlife with which we share the planet from cruelty and exploitation. 

“Otherwise we face the bleak prospect of a future without many of our currently threatened animals.

“Most people are aware of threats to iconic species such as elephants and rhino, yet many still know nothing of the no less important, and fascinating, pangolin.” 

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