<p>For pangolins in Africa, a pattern of overlapping scales is a vital armor against predatory lions, hyenas, snakes, and wild dogs. The scales – composed of the same keratin that makes up our fingernails – allow the threatened mammals to curl up into a ball, protecting their vulnerable underside.</p>
<p>For traffickers of illegal wildlife, those scales are a unique and valuable currency, capable of moving untraced across national borders and a significant driver of criminal activities that threaten both wildlife populations and human communities around the globe.</p>
<p>To combat the challenges of wildlife trafficking, Virginia Tech’s <a href="https://cnre.vt.edu/">College of Natural Resources and Environment</a> was awarded a $2.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs to develop a state-of-the-art wildlife for
For pangolins in Africa, a pattern of overlapping scales is a vital armor against predatory lions, hyenas, snakes, and wild dogs. The scales – composed of the
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