The Endangered giant pangolin Smutsia gigantea is rare and elusive across its Central African range. Because of its solitary and nocturnal nature, the species is difficult to study and so its ecology is little known. Pangolins are considered the most trafficked mammals in the world. Therefore, confirming presence accurately and monitoring trends in distribution and abundance are essential to inform and prioritize conservation efforts. Camera traps are popular tools for surveying rare and cryptic species. However, non-targeted camera-trap surveys yield low camera-trapping rates for pangolins. Here we use camera-trap data from surveys conducted within three protected areas in Uganda to test whether targeted placement of cameras improves giant pangolin detection probability in occupancy models. The results indicate that giant pangolin detection probability is highest when camera traps are targeted on burrows. The median number of days from camera deployment to first giant pangolin detection event was 12, with the majority of events captured within 32 days from deployment. The median interval between giant pangolin events at a camera-trap site was 33 days. We demonstrate that camera-trap surveys can be designed to improve the detection of giant pangolins and we outline a set of recommendations to maximize the effectiveness of efforts to survey and monitor the species.

Pangolins are some of the most overexploited but least studied mammals. The giant pangolin Smutsia gigantea is the largest of the eight pangolin species, measuring up to 180 cm in length and weighing up to 40 kg. It is a nocturnal, solitary species that occurs at low densities and little is known regarding its biology and ecology. It is distributed widely across the rainforests and forest savannah mosaics of equatorial Africa but its exact range extent is unknown. Apart from a single record in Kenya predating 1971, the eastern limit of its range was thought only to extend to central Uganda and western Tanzania. Here we present three spatially separate records confirming the presence of this species in Kenyan Afromontane forests. The three records are c. 120 km apart and c. 500 km east of the nearest confirmed giant pangolin population in Uganda. These records represent a significant range extension for the species and highlight the biodiversity and conservation importance of the Afromontane forests of western Kenya.