Frequently Asked Questions
Found across Africa and Asia, a pangolin is a scaly ant-eating mammal, ranging in size between 30 and 100cm (12 to 39in). They are the most trafficked mammal in the world, with over 100,000 being poached each year and subsequently sold on the Asian black market. They are valued for their meat but more so for their scales, which are used in Asian traditional medicine.
All of the eight remaining pangolin species are officially listed as endangered and are likely to be extinct within the decade if the effects of poaching and deforestation are not mitigated immediately. The NiFTy Pangolins NFT project will help stop this from happening.
NFT stands for Non-Fungible Token. “Non-fungible” is an economics term to describe things that have unique properties and are therefore not interchangeable with any other things.
NFTs are tokens which can be used to represent ownership of a unique item, such as a piece of digital art, and they can only have one official owner at a time. The ownership of an NFT is recorded on the blockchain, which nobody but the owner can modify. The blockchain is the backbone of a cryptocurrency (Bitcoin or Ether, for example) and is essentially an immutable record of transactions.
NFTs can typically only be purchased with cryptocurrency, but we’ve partnered with Crossmint to make it possible to purchase a NiFTy Pangolin with a payment card.
NiFTy Pangolins is a collection of 11,000 unique pieces of digital art. Proceeds from the sales of these pieces will help bring pangolins back from the brink of extinction by creating a desperately needed network of pangolin conservation centres across Africa and Asia.
To evade poachers, 11,000 pangolins have dressed up as humans – but they're not particularly good at dressing themselves. Obviously.
The core collection consists of 10,000 NFTs, each displaying a random selection of clothing and objects taken from 1,000 complete individual outfits. In addition, there's another 1,000 free VIP (Very Impeccable Pangolins) NFTs which can be claimed by owners who've collected certain NFTs from the core collection with related traits. The VIP NFTs cannot be purchased from this website, only earned.
All NiFTy Pangolins NFTs can be resold on the secondary market (e.g. Opensea), generating an additional 6% for the project with each sale.
NiFTy Pangolins NFTs are ERC-721 tokens.
No, you can’t. You’ll only be able to see your NiFTy Pangolin once you’ve minted it. But just think of the excitement! It’ll be like tearing open a fresh pack of baseball cards, or unwrapping a birthday present! Whichever NiFTy Pangolin you receive, you’ll know it’s unique, and that it’s guaranteed to contain elements that, when combined with other NFTs from the core collection, could unlock a free VIP NFT!
And don’t forget that you can always sell your NFT on the secondary market; it’s highly likely that someone else may need it to complete their collection so that they can unlock their chosen VIP.
However, when you buy a NiFTy Pangolins NFT on the secondary market, you will always be able to see it first and pick the one that resonates with you the most.
Until the collection sells out, you can mint a NiFTy Pangolins NFT via the homepage of this website.
Once the collection has sold out, you should be able to buy one on the secondary market on NFT marketplaces such as Opensea.
There is no limit to the number of NiFTy Pangolins NFTs that you can buy on the secondary market or hold in a single wallet.
For those who don’t already have crypto wallets, we’ve partnered with Crossmint to make it possible to mint a NiFTy Pangolins NFT from our website with a payment card.
Minting with a card is very simple, and when you click the “Buy with a payment card” button, you’ll be guided through the process step by step. All you’ll need is your email address and a payment card to get started.
The process takes your payment in USD, converts it to ETH and transfers it to our crypto wallet. It then creates a secure crypto wallet for you (operated by Crossmint) which allows you to manage your NiFTy Pangolins NFT. It’ll take a couple of minutes for your NFT to be minted, and it will then appear in your wallet. You’ll be able to transfer it to a different wallet at any point, or simply use it to access and view your shiny new NFT!
Please note that you will be charged a small “convenience fee” when you pay by card (which Crossmint uses to cover the cost of currency conversion and wallet set-up) plus a “gas fee” (which is a charge for interacting with the Ethereum network).
MetaMask is a software cryptocurrency wallet used to interact with the Ethereum blockchain. It allows users to access their Ethereum wallet through a browser extension or mobile app, which can then be used to interact with decentralized applications, such as the NiFTy Pangolins website mint function.
MetaMask is one of the most popular wallets but other wallets can also be used.
Each of the core collection of 10,000 NiFTy Pangolins could be wearing/holding any combination of 4,530 unique hand-drawn items, so all of them are rare in their own way, and some more than others.
However, rarity isn’t so much a factor here as it is with other NFT collections, if you consider the fact that your NFT is guaranteed to be a key component in unlocking one of only 1,000 free VIP NFTs.
Arbitrary rarity is a factor in PFP NFT collections which have little inherent use or value beyond the aesthetic, which is far from the case with a more evolved – and involved – collection such as NiFTy Pangolins.
All NiFTy Pangolins artwork is stored on IPFS (InterPlanetary File System), which is a decentralised, distributed system for storing and accessing files, websites, applications, and data.
Purchasing a NiFTy Pangolins NFT means you own the NFT itself, but you don't own the artwork. The artwork is licensed to you, and you have the right to use it any way you want to (subject to the terms of the licence), including commercial usage.
We encourage you to get creative and make the most of the usage rights in the licence – all NiFTy Pangolins are free-range, so set them loose to make their own way in the world :-)
Benefits beyond the enjoyment of that warm and fuzzy feeling you get when you're helping to stop an endangered animal become extinct? Well, plenty actually…
All holders of a NiFTy Pangolin NFT will benefit from:
- IP rightsYou'll have the right to use your NFT’s artwork any way you’d like (subject to the licence terms) – even commercially – and we encourage you to get creative with how you use it. We want to see your NiFTy Pangolins everywhere because that will be invaluable in bringing pangolins and their plight to many thousands of people, many of whom probably haven’t even heard of a pangolin.
- Hi-res art4000 x 4000 pixel PNG file, maximum print size 33 x 33cm at 300ppi. You’re welcome!
- Exclusive membershipYou’ll be joining an empowered community with the shared goal of positive change – with organised meet-ups and activities IRL, competitions and giveaways.
- Exclusive rare pangolin contentYour NFT offers exclusive access to extremely rare pangolin footage and live streams from the conservationists, plus AMAs with Maria Diekmann and the team.
- Exclusive merchOnly for our NFT holders, we’ll be opening our very own ethical online NiFTy Pangolins store, where you can get creative with your NFT on a range of quality products.
- Get involvedAs opportunities emerge, we'll encourage input from our community to help guide us through the possibilities of collabs and partnerships … because this is a communal effort, and owning a NiFTy Pangolins NFT makes you a valued part of the community.
- Priority listNiFTy Pangolins NFT holders get pre-sale access to all future collections, with a free NFT from the next collection reserved for all current holders.
- Unlock free VIP (Very Impeccable Pangolins) NFTsAs a holder, you’ll get the opportunity to unlock free 1/1 VIP NFTs by collecting multiple linked NiFTy Pangolins.
Those holding a VIP NFT will also benefit from:
- Conservation Centre InvitationYou’ll get the chance to win one of ten invitations to one of our conservation centres in Africa or Asia (travel and accommodation for 2 people included), where you can help us with our conservation efforts – and get up close and personal with the pangolins. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that money just can’t buy.
- Adoption of a pangolinAs we rescue and rehabilitate pangolins across Africa and Asia, we’ll need to give them names … and that’s where our VIP holders come in! All VIPs will have the opportunity to adopt a pangolin, naming it and receiving regular updates on its progress and activities.
- Scalable VIP vector fileProvided as an SVG file, you’ll be able to print your VIP to any size whatsoever without loss of quality.
NiFTy Pangolins operates on the Ethereum blockchain, which switched from a Proof-of-Work mining system to a Proof-of-Stake system on September 15th. This had the effect of slashing the carbon impact of buying an NFT – previously comparable to taking a transatlantic flight – by a massive 99.95%.
We deliberately timed the launch of our collection to make it as environmentally friendly as possible. If we hadn’t waited until Ethereum changed its system, the minting of each of our NFTs would have generated around 113kg of CO2, which would obviously have been totally unacceptable. Now, we estimate that minting each of our NFTs generates around 57g of CO2, which is less than that from growing and transporting a banana.
The primary pangolin conservation centre is being built in Nigeria's Emerald Forest Reserve, which will soon be operating a carbon sinking initiative. Once the collection has sold out, we'll be working with the Emerald Forest Reserve to offset at least double the amount of CO2 generated by our collection, making it carbon-negative.
In addition to the core collection of 10,000 randomly generated NFTs, there are 1,000 free VIP NFTs to unlock. VIP stands for “Very Impeccable Pangolins”, and they’re the ones which have somehow managed to dress themselves in complete outfits.
VIPs cannot be purchased on this website, they can only be earned by collecting all the NFTs from the core collection with items comprising a VIP outfit. However, VIPs can be purchased on the secondary market as and when they are made available by their owners.
Scientist and a conservationist, Maria Diekmann, is the founder of Pangolins International, an operating name of the Rare and Endangered Species Trust. REST was established in September 2000 and is registered in Namibia as a non-profit organisation.
At its original location near Otjiwarongo in Namibia, REST worked on the conservation of a small number of species that rarely attract media attention unless extra effort is made – including pangolins.
However, with the rapidly growing threat to pangolins from ever-increasing levels of poaching, REST is now focusing specifically on pangolin conservation. The organisation is now in the process of relocating to the Emerald Forest Reserve in Nigeria – the global epicentre of pangolin poaching – and will be expanding its support to at least eight other countries across Africa and Asia.
To more effectively communicate its new focus and scope, REST is now adopting the public identity of Pangolins International.
Maria is a member of the IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group, which is an advisory body to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Watch an episode of the BBC's Natural World documentary, featuring Maria's work with pangolins at her previous conservation centre in Namibia – narrated by Sir David Attenborough.
Certainly! The first centre is already under construction in Nigeria's Emerald Forest Reserve, the new base for Pangolins International. Nigeria is the world's epicentre of pangolin poaching, and where the organisation can make the greatest difference.
The Nigeria centre has been initially funded by the Abayomi Farm Estate, the custodian of the Emerald Forest Reserve, and funds raised from the NiFTy Pangolins collection will bring it up to the required specifications for optimum operation – and fund it for a year of operation. This includes:
- Construction completion
- Solar power installation
- Conservation and research equipment
- Satellite trackers for each pangolin
- Pangolin food
- Rehabilitation and medical supplies
- Staff wages and transport
- Community education and outreach
Following on from the Nigeria centre, eight more pangolin conservation centres will simultaneously be added to the network in:
- Central African Republic
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Zimbabwe
- South Africa
- Kenya
- Malaysia
- Vietnam
- Singapore
We will fund the enhancement and optimisation of existing animal shelters in the above countries as required – in the form of construction work, equipment, supplies and training – making each a valuable part of an urgently needed international pangolin conservation network.
Extensive training, equipment and operational funding will be supplied to these centres, along with the tools and knowledge to reach out to their local communities with education programmes.
Together, these centres will comprise an invaluable network of protection for the remaining eight species of pangolins, and provide the data for us to understand these shy, gentle creatures – and help pull them back from the brink of extinction.
Absolutely no idea, to be honest. We’ll be doing everything we can to add value to the brand – and provide value to our community – but there’s no way we’re going to promise you’ll be able to buy a Lamborghini if you decide to sell your NFT. But that’s not really the point of this collection, is it?
We’d like to think that NiFTy Pangolins is an example of a next-generation NFT collection, using NFTs as more than just cool pictures of cartoon animals that represent the promise of passive income and some kind of vague payoff in the Metaverse. NFTs can do better than that. So just buy a NiFTy Pangolin, enjoy the artwork, and enjoy being part of a community that’s a genuine force for good … and consider it a solid investment in the future of our planet :-)
We’re confident that the collection will sell out because there are enough people in the Web 3 / crypto space who genuinely care about the world outside the metaverse. They’re our community.
Our main threat is the current volatility of the crypto markets, which may give potential owners less liquidity to play with in the short term, which could possibly slow sales. But we’re not here just for the short term, and a worst-case scenario is that our timeline has to be adjusted, and some centres are integrated a few months later than expected. It’s not ideal, but it’s manageable.