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COVID-19 Shines Spotlight on Shy Pangolin

Margaret Besheer

   NEW YORK - The arrival of the new coronavirus pandemic has made
   something of a wildlife celebrity of a previously not very well-known
   scaly mammal known as a pangolin.

   These cute or creepy looking (depending upon whomyou ask) creatures are
   hunted insub-Saharan Africa for their scales and meat and illegally
   trafficked primarily to Southeast Asia.

   Several conservation organizations say they are the most heavily
   trafficked wild mammal on the planet, bringing poachers and smugglers
   vast amounts of money. Between 2006 and 2015, more than1million
   pangolins are estimated to have been hunted.

   The creatures, which vary from the size of a domestic cat to a large
   dog, have gained notoriety during the coronavirus outbreak, as
   scientists explore whether the virus originated in the pangolin or
   whether it could have been a middleman,transmitting it from another
   wild animal,such as a bat, to humans.

   The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the source of
   the current coronavirus outbreak is not yet known.

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