Intelligence operations in South Africa over the past five years have retrieved 160 live pangolins from the illegal trade, according to data from the African Pangolin Working Group. The group is mandated by the Department of Forestry Fisheries and Environment to oversee matters relating to illegal pangolin trade. Its role includes assisting in law enforcement operations, contributing expert evidence in court cases, rehabilitating pangolins retrieved from the illegal trade and releasing them in appropriate wild areas. Data obtained from the non-profit organisation shows there were 160 individual Temminck’s pangolins confiscated from wildlife traffickers in South Africa between 2018 and 2022. Also known as ground or Cape pangolins, Temminck's pangolins are one of four species of pangolins found in Africa, and the only one endemic to Southern and East Africa. They are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.