AGRICULTURE NEWS - The pangolin is the world’s most trafficked mammal, being sought after for its scales for the manufacture of traditional medicine, particularly in China.
This was according to Prof Ray Jansen, chairperson of the African Pangolin Working Group.
“However, it has emerged that there is a strong likelihood that the [recent] outbreak of the [novel] coronavirus could be linked to the consumption of pangolin body parts. It seems as if the virus originated from bats, but has mutated [to infect] a species of Asian pangolins,” he said.
As a result of the possible linkage between pangolins and the novel coronavirus, China’s government has banned the trade of all wild animals, including indigenous Asian species of the pangolin. Jansen said that this could markedly benefit the conservation of pangolins.
Read the full article here on the Caxton publication, Farmer's Weekly
