Pangolin-poaching hot spots revealed by DNA tests

Using DNA tests, researchers have exposed smuggling routes and traced the remains of African pangolins back to specific forest populations. Since 2012, poaching of these endangered animals has shifted eastward from Sierra Leone to Cameroon , they report today in Science . The tests could help law enforcement agents more quickly identify the source of untold numbers of hunted pangolins, possibly millions of which are illegally shipped around the world each year. “Identifying pangolin poaching hot spots is crucial to curbing their decline and this paper has made a giant effort in addressing this gap,” says Charles Emogor, a conservation biologist at the University of Cambridge who was not involved in the study. Pangolins—also called scaly anteaters—are the only mammals with reptilelike scales, which grow from modified hair follicles. When threatened, the nocturnal animals will roll up into a ball, a ploy that provides no protection when humans hunt them for their meat. Their scales are also in demand, mainly in China, for use in traditional medicine, even though there’s no evidence that they provide effective remedies. As Asian pangolins have become scarce, hunting has increased elsewhere. Although trade in pangolins among countries is banned by an international agreement, authorities in Hong Kong regularly confiscate large shipments, particularly of white-bellied pangolins ( Phataginus tricuspis ) from Africa. Nigeria i...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research