Forensic method could help the pangolin and bring poachers to justice
Researchers are using gelatin to get the fingerprints of poachers. The one good thing about the coronavirus pandemic? It might actually save the pangolins. Examples of fingerprints lifted from pangolin scales As China finally starts to take the protection of pangolins seriously, researchers have discovered a new forensic method that could disrupt poachers and traffickers and help them bring them into justice. A group of wildlife forensic experts from the University of Portsmouth have discovered a way to lift fingerprints from pangolin scales by using gelatin, a common way that forensic scientists pick up prints from surfaces. The lift can be easily applied, removed and scanned and afterward the fingermarks can be graded for ridge detail. The first trial using this method was done in 2018 and since then it has been further developed with training and workshops in Asia and Africa. Wildlife personnel worked with the researchers to improve their capability in using the methods t...
