Could science be the answer to saving the pangolin from poachers?
- Published
WATCH: How science is helping save pangolins
Pangolins might be cute, but they're also worth a fortune.
Their scales are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and their meat is considered a delicacy in some countries.
This makes them very attractive to poachers, people who illegally catch and kill wild animals in order to sell them.
Despite laws to protect them, pangolins are the most-poached animal on the planet and are facing extinction.
Now, British scientists have come up with a new way to use technology that could help stop poaching.
A team in Portsmouth has come up with a way of taking human finger prints from their scales, which they hope could help catch the criminals behind the illegal trade.
A simple kit is used to take the finger prints from the pangolin's scales.
As each person's fingerprint is unique, it could help the police to track down the poachers.
It's hoped that this new way of using fingerprinting technology could help save these creatures from extinction.
- Published23 November 2013
- Published27 September 2016
