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The small, scaly, and highly endangered pangolin has been keeping a secret: it comprises not eight species but nine, with a new one discovered through analysis of confiscated scales. Scientists previously believed there were four Asian and four African varieties of the shy, nocturnal creature, which is often described as the world’s most trafficked mammal. However, even as the species was discovered, there are signs it may be disappearing, according to research published Tuesday in […]
by Camille LAFFONT Pictures by FLORENT VERGNES Agence France-Presse DZANGA-SANGHA NATIONAL PARK, Central African Republic (AFP) — The prehistoric shape is hard to make out as it moves slowly through the gloomy forest, so trackers listen for the rustle of scales against the leaves to pick up its trail. Their target is the long-tailed pangolin — a little mammal also called the scaly anteater, which will be lucky to survive to the end of this century. […]
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AFP) — Ivory Coast officials on Tuesday burnt three tonnes of scales of the pangolin, the most trafficked mammal on Earth. The scales were seized in raids in 2017 and 2018, following which some 20 people were arrested. Beijing announced a total ban on the sale and consumption of the pangolin after the novel coronavirus outbreak. The scaly mammal — listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN) as threatened […]
by Paul RICARD and Brigitte CASTELNAU Agence France Presse Chinese researchers investigating the animal origin of the deadly coronavirus outbreak in China said Friday the endangered pangolin may be the “missing link” between bats and humans, but other scientists said the search may not be over. An earlier study — since discredited — pointed to snakes, and there remain numerous candidate species in the Wuhan wildlife market thought to be ground zero of the […]
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Pangolin smugglers are constantly opening up new routes to evade law enforcement agencies, a study showed Friday, highlighting the challenge of tackling the trade in the world’s most heavily trafficked mammal. While at least 20 tons of pangolins and their parts are seized annually after being trafficked across borders, smugglers were using dozens of new routes for the illegal trade every year in a determined effort to stay ahead of […]
by Jenny VAUGHAN CUC PHUONG, Vietnam (AFP) — Pangolin Mi Bo has seen better days. He arrived at a rescue centre in Vietnam missing a paw after it was cut off in a snare trap. The rest of his body is marked by red lacerations, and he will probably never regain enough strength to return to the wild. But he is among the lucky ones. Rescued from poachers, Mi Bo and dozens of other pangolins […]
Indonesia (AFP) — Three Indonesian men have been arrested for allegedly trading in protected species, with police seizing animal parts including a tiger skin, deer genitalia and pangolin scales, an official says. https://youtu.be/PCHEmDZNNVM
Johannesburg, South Africa (AFP) by Susan NJANJI Reclusive, gentle and quick to roll up into a ball, pangolins keep a low profile. But they are also the world’s most heavily trafficked mammal, and experts at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) conference this week are ringing alarm bells over their survival. Demand for pangolin meat and body parts has fuelled a bloodbath, and driven the scale-covered, ant-eating mammal towards extinction. More than […]
