ABSTRACT Temminck's pangolins ( Smutsia temminckii ) are an elusive, low‐density species with several knowledge gaps surrounding their ecology, including home range establishment. In Malawi, pangolins face ongoing threats from poaching and electric fencing which often results in them needing medical care. Lilongwe Wildlife Trust rehabilitates these pangolins and releases them back into the wild. Using satellite and VHF tags deployed on eight pangolins for up to 5.5 months for post‐release monitoring, home range sizes were calculated using kernel density analysis. The average total home range size was found to be 5.56 km 2 (SD = ±5.333), including an exploratory period where individuals investigated their new surroundings. Individuals established home ranges after a mean of 8 weeks, but up to 16 weeks. After establishment, home range sizes decreased (mean of 1.37 km 2 , SD = ±0.9). No clear effects of poaching history, rehabilitation length or body mass on home range size were detected. Individuals which underwent the release period in the wet season had larger home ranges. These results suggest that intensive, resource‐heavy monitoring beyond 16 weeks may not be needed, although longer monitoring may be required for some individuals on a case‐by‐case basis.
Stracquadanio et al. (2026) studied this question.