The Giant Sable Antelope, better known as the Palanca Negra Gigante in Portuguese, is Angola’s spirit animal. This species of Antelope is only found in the African country of Angola. Once believed to being extinct as a result of extensive hunting, and habitat destruction from the country’s independence war followed by the 27-year civil war, small herds of this antelope were discovered roaming in the forests of the Angolan province of Malanje. The Palanca Negra Gigante, the national symbol of Angola, is on the IUCN (International Union of Conservation of Nature) critically endangered list of Threatened Species. Extensive efforts are being made to save this antelope species from extinction.
We chose the Palanca Negra Gigante as the symbol of our company because the founder and inventor, Dr. De Magalhães, was born in Angola. Moreover, the first president of Angola, Antonio Agostinho Neto, one of the Angolan leaders who led the country in the war for its independence from Portugal, died from complications of pancreatic cancer in 1979 at the age 56 after fighting a long battle with the disease.
Much like the Palanca Negra Gigante, those battling pancreatic cancer are on the verge of extinction. The Palanca Negra Gigante not only symbolizes hope and perseverance. It also symbolizes our company’s role in the war against cancer, and our mission to fight for those afflicted by the disease, by developing effective therapies and diagnostic tools to drastically improve the overall well-being and survivorship of pancreatic cancer warriors/patients.
