Protecting the World’s Most Trafficked Mammal
Every five minutes, a pangolin, those shy, scaly mammals that curl into armored balls, vanishes from the wild. In the last decade, more than one million pangolins have been snatched from their forest homes, making them the planet’s most heavily trafficked animal. Yet in the shadow of these alarming losses, a remarkable story of hope and dedication unfolds just outside Buhoma village. Founded in 2015 by conservation hero Moses Arineitwe, the Pangolin Rescue Centre has become a beacon for these vulnerable creatures, and for the communities that share their forest.
Rescue, Rehabilitation & Release
Since opening its doors, Moses and his team have rescued over 177 pangolins, providing emergency veterinary care, round-the-clock feeding (a pangolin can consume upwards of 20,000 ants a day!), and rehabilitation in forested enclosures.
Volunteers and visiting wildlife veterinarians work side by side, racing out on motorbikes, fueled by donations to collect pangolins surrendered by well‐meaning villagers or seized from traffickers. When healthy and ready, each pangolin is fitted with a GPS tracking device and released into Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where protected status gives them the best chance at survival.
Community Education & Empowerment
Understanding that fear and misinformation are as lethal as poachers’ traps, Moses leads outreach programs across local schools and villages. He shares photographs, stories, and hands-on demonstrations to show why pangolins are vital to healthy forests, natural pest controllers whose decline can ripple through entire ecosystems.
The Center’s broader community initiatives now train 25 local women in sustainable livelihoods: mushroom cultivation, vegetable gardening, soap-making, and charcoal briquette production, projects that reduce pressure on the forest and uplift families.
Remarkably, these efforts have also reformed over 70 former poachers into passionate conservation advocates.
Your Visit Matters
Choose the Pangolin Conservation Experience—a 60-90 minutes guided encounter mornings from 8:30AM–10:00AM or late afternoon from 3:00PM–5:00PM. You’ll meet Moses or one of his team members, tour the rescue enclosures, and observe pangolins during their most active hours.
Best of all, your participation directly underwrites fuel for rescue missions, veterinary supplies, and community training programs. More than an unforgettable wildlife encounter, your visit strengthens a model of conservation that transforms poaching into protection, and fleeting wildlife sightings into lasting impact.
By adding this to your Buhoma itinerary, whether before or after your gorilla trek, you stand alongside a true conservation hero and ensure that Uganda’s pangolins continue to roam freely for generations to come.
— Back to the Source Tours: Proud partners in wildlife preservation and authentic, impactful adventures.
A Model for Sustainable Community-Based Tourism
At Back to the Source Tours, our Sustainable practices are founded on deep, respectful partnerships with local conservation and community organizations. We believe that travel should leave a positive footprint, cultivating economic opportunities, preserving cultural heritage, and safeguarding wildlife.
By collaborating with heroes like Moses Arineitwe and the Pangolin Rescue Centre in Buhoma, we ensure that every pangolin rescue, rehabilitation, and release not only protects an endangered species, but also channels funding, training, and awareness directly into the surrounding villages.
When your itinerary includes a visit to the Pangolin Rescue Centre, your tourism dollars support motorbike rescue missions, veterinary care, and vital community workshops in sustainable agriculture and soap-making.
This integrated approach creates a virtuous cycle: as communities gain alternative livelihoods and conservation knowledge, the pressures of poaching and habitat loss diminish, allowing both people and wildlife to thrive. Our guests become active participants in this process, recording pangolin sightings, learning traditional crafts, and witnessing firsthand how community-led initiatives can transform fear into stewardship.
By weaving authentic, impact-driven experiences into every itinerary, from gorilla trekking in Bwindi to pangolin encounters, we offer journeys that enrich your understanding of conservation and deepen your connection to the land and its people.
