pangolin

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Why Nigeria Burned 4 Tons of Pangolin Scales

Country did so as a deterrent to traffickers

(Newser) - In a move intended to deter wildlife traffickers, Nigeria has burned more than 4 tons of pangolin scales. "These seized items represent the past we leave behind, but the destruction signifies the future we are determined to build for our planet," the country's environment minister said before...

This Scaly Creature Implicated in Virus Spread
This Scaly Creature 
Implicated in Virus Spread
the rundown
Mar 27, 2020 11:16 AM CDT

This Scaly Creature Implicated in Virus Spread

But don't be too quick to blame pangolins just yet

(Newser) - A scaly anteater known as the pangolin is suddenly getting a lot of attention as scientists around the world try to figure out how the coronavirus jumped to humans. The takeaway from coverage seems to boil down to this: The animals do carry coronaviruses similar to the one responsible for...

Officials Nab 9 Tons of Pangolin Scales

Hong Kong officials have already arrested 2 people

(Newser) - A shipping container seized in Hong Kong this month was full of animal parts, but they definitely didn't come from a cow as declared. Authorities there have arrested a man and a woman from a trading company after discovering more than 1,000 elephant tusks and 9 tons of...

$100K Project Uses 3-Foot Rats to Sniff Out Crime

It's not the first time their noses have been put to use

(Newser) - Giant African pouched rats that grow to three feet long can't see well, but their keen sense of smell has already made them indispensable in the hunt for anything from tuberculosis in humans to buried TNT in former war zones (they've already found 1,500 land mines in...

We're Eating 'Scaly Anteaters' Into Extinction

Some think their scales have medicinal qualities

(Newser) - Pangolins, also known as scaly anteaters, are the only known mammals in the world to sport scales. But people are eating them and using their scales for their perceived medicinal value, and now all eight pangolin species are nearing extinction. Just a few days ago, officials in Vietnam found 1....

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