Pangolins are having a 'moment' thanks to Netflix's 'Kulu’s Journey.' This zoo hopes it inspires conservation efforts

On the left: the poster for the documentary: Pangolin: Kulu's Journey, which has a baby pangolin in a close up shot being held by a human. On the right, that same pangolin perches in the desert with its hands together.

Months after the internet swooned over Moo Deng the pygmy hippopotamus and Pesto the penguin, a new critter has catapulted into the spotlight: an orphaned pangolin pup named Kulu. 

Kulu is the subject of Pippa Erhlich’s new Netflix nature documentary, “Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey.” 

In the film, which critics have hailed as “captivating,” “sweet,” and “uplifting,” Kulu is rescued by wildlife photographer Gareth Thomas. Together, they form a “parent-child” relationship as Thomas tries to set Kulu up for success in the wilds of South Africa. 

The documentary has shed light on the plight of endangered pangolins, the most trafficked mammal in the world

Last week, England’s Chester Zoo leveraged that newfound awareness by participating in Big Green Give, a campaign that protects giant pangolins in Uganda. 

A day after the Netflix documentary premiered, the Chester Zoo held a weeklong fundraiser from April 22 through April 29 and matched all incoming donations. The money was funnelled directly to the Uganda Wildlife Authority to support giant pangolin conservation. 

Naomi Matthews, the zoo’s Africa biomonitoring manager, said that pangolins are having “a moment” thanks to “Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey” — and it’s a moment that’s long overdue.

“I was 21 when I first discovered what a pangolin was, while watching a David Attenborough documentary,” Matthews told The Leader, a British news outlet, in reference to “Pangolins: The World's Most Wanted Animal.”

a giant ground pangolin: a huge scaly mammal with a slender snout, walks along the ground of a desert with its hands held together up in front of its face.
A giant ground pangolin. Image via Oregon State University / David Brossard (CC BY-SA 2.0)

“Once I learned about the threats they face, I was passionate about making sure the zoo got involved in their conservation,” said Matthews, who spearheaded the Big Green Give campaign. 

“I’ve always loved the weird and wonderful mammals — the ones that don’t really fit into other categories. Our whole team is passionate about pangolins, and it’s that passion that keeps us going.”

“Studying them is incredibly difficult and often challenging, but that’s also what makes it so rewarding.”

By the time the campaign closed on April 29, the campaign had exceeded its target goal of £16,000 with a total of £17,190 raised. That’s about $23,000.

With the collected funds, the Chester Zoo’s East African Conservation Action Plan will be able to gather data on giant pangolin “population size, movements, lifestyles and behaviours.” 

“We'll also recruit three new team members on the ground who'll engage local communities and build partnerships with regional academic institutions,” the campaign stated on the Big Green Give website. “All this will help protect giant pangolins and ensure their survival.”

Although the Chester Zoo’s latest fundraiser has wrapped, Matthews hopes that the increased media attention surrounding pangolins has a lasting impact on future conservation efforts.

“We see waves of interest in particular animals,” Matthews explained. “I think a lot of it is driven by social media and pop culture. First everyone was obsessed with meerkats, then capybaras, and now pygmy hippos are having a moment.” 

“I think it’s time for pangolins.”

A pangolin is being held by a man who has his back to the camera.
Gareth Thomas holds Kulu in "Pangolin: Kulu's Journey." Image via Netflix

Header images and logo asset via Netflix

Article Details

April 30, 2025 1:06 PM
April 30, 2025
Beneath a red Netflix logo, a pangolin perches in the desert, holding its paws together

New Netflix documentary 'Pangolin: Kulu's Journey' is a critical hit: 'I knew zero about pangolins...I fell in love'

In her follow-up to “My Octopus Teacher,” director Pippa Ehrlich centers on a tiny pangolin pup and its heart-tugging relationship with wildlife photographer Gareth Thomas.
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