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The outbreak of a novel corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the city of Wuhan, China has resulted in more than 1.7 million laboratory confirmed cases all over the world. Recent studies showed that SARS-CoV-2 was likely originated from bats, but its intermediate hosts are still largely unknown. In this study, we assembled the complete genome of a coronavirus identified in 3 sick Malayan pangolins. The molecular and phylogenetic analyses showed that this pangolin coronavirus (pangolin-CoV-2020) is genetically related to the SARS-CoV-2 as well as a group of bat coronaviruses but do not support the SARS-CoV-2 emerged directly from the pangolin-CoV-2020. Our study suggests that pangolins are natural hosts of Betacoronaviruses. Large surveillance of coronaviruses in pangolins could improve our understanding of the spectrum of coronaviruses in pangolins. In addition to conservation of wildlife, minimizing the exposures of humans to wildlife will be important to reduce the spillover risks of coronaviruses from wild animals to humans.

Abstract Archipelagos and oceanic islands have remarkably high levels of endemism, which is associated with rapid speciation. The Malayan pangolin (Manis javanica), one of critically endangered Asia pangolin species, occurs in southern Yunnan, China, and on oceanic islands via the Malay peninsula. The question of whether the distribution of Malayan pangolins between the mainland and nearby marine islands has led to deep population differentiation is not well addressed. In-depth investigation of population structure and genetic consequences is of vital importance for protection and conservation of Malayan pangolins. Here we carried out a large-scale population genomic analysis for Malayan pangolins, which revealed three highly distinct genetic populations. The largest population was found to be distributed over a wide area extending from mainland China to almost the whole of South East Asia. The other two smaller populations reported in this study were inferred from Borneo. In addition, based on multiple lines of genomic and skull morphological evidences, we confirmed the existence of a fifth Asian pangolin species (M. mysteria). Genetic diversity and genome-wide inbreeding were at moderate levels, indicating that anthropogenic factors did not significantly weaken the basis of genetic sustainability for Malayan pangolins. However, Malayan pangolins from northeastern Borneo exhibited low genetic diversity, high levels of inbreeding and mutational load, thereby necessitating attention to their protection.

Pangolins have become emblematic of the global wildlife trade crisis due to intense trafficking for consumption and traditional medicine. Coupled with habitat loss, the illicit trade in pangolins has severely threatened wild populations. Genetic identification of distinct pangolin populations is an imperative step toward guiding effective and informed conservation management. These populations can serve as a reference for assigning seized individuals to their geographic origins, and thus tracing trafficking networks. However, pangolin population genetics studies have been hindered by limited sampling of geo-referenced individuals, largely due to the species’ elusive nature. To address this, we developed a tailored gene-capture approach targeting 671 loci totaling 627 kb with high evolutionary and adaptive value across all eight pangolin species. We optimized the approach for low-quality DNA, including samples from museum collections and wildlife trade, such as bushmeat and scale seizures. We reassessed range-wide population delineations for the three most traded species, the white-bellied ( Phataginus tricuspis ), Sunda ( Manis javanica ), and Chinese ( M. pentadactyla ) pangolins, highlighting the need for biogeographically consistent lineage nomenclature and spatially aware analyses to support coherent conservation planning. The unprecedented geo-referenced DNA database for the three species yielded snapshot insights into pangolin trafficking hotspots and trade dynamics of both domestic markets and global trade seizures, the former providing novel insights into bushmeat trade. Domestic trade reflects local and occasional cross-border sourcing, averaging 454 km across the three species, while international trafficking seizures in mostly scales point to broader, regional procurement. However, common sourcing regions between the two trade market types indicate their interconnectivity, suggesting that local trade may contribute to international trade supply. Our study identified significant international trade hotspots for the white-bellied, Sunda, and Chinese pangolins, centered around southwestern Cameroon, southwestern Borneo Island, and Myanmar, respectively. Addressing geo-referenced sampling gaps and increasing local-to-global seizure data over time may offer deeper spatiotemporal insights into pangolin trade dynamics. Our study design may serve as a replicable model for enabling authorities and practitioners to implement intelligence-driven, geographically targeted interventions, by identifying the key regions most implicated in pangolin trafficking.

Globally, pangolins are the most heavily trafficked mammals and China is one of the main destinations for their scales and meat. Conducting separate studies on the characteristics of the illegal trade in pangolin meat and in scales in China will provide a basis for devising more targeted protection strategies and actions. This study focused on the illegal pangolin-scale trading network in China by collating relevant cases of smuggling published in China Judgements Online, revealing that most scales came from Africa. The six main cities involved in the illegal trade in China were Bozhou, Chongzuo, Dehong, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Kunming. Seizures of illegally traded scales have decreased significantly due to strengthened law enforcement and increased public awareness of their protected status. We recommend that, in addition to advocating for stronger pangolin protection legislation and law enforcement in Africa, the inspection in China of cargo and baggage on ships and aircraft from Africa and of trucks entering and leaving Bozhou City should also by strengthened, as should the raising of awareness of pangolin protection among express delivery personnel, and in particular, practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine should be discouraged from using pangolin scales in treatments. These measures will further effectively curb the illegal trade in pangolins in China.

Wildlife forensics is a relatively underexplored field of science. It provides forensic evidence to support legal investigations involving wildlife crime, such as the trafficking and poaching of animals and/or their goods. The consequences of poaching are not just limited to a decline in animal welfare and include the spread of zoonotic disease, species, cultural and habitat loss, and injury of anti-poaching rangers. Fingermark analysis for the identification of perpetrators of wildlife crimes has not been explored to a great extent despite being a cost-effective, simple-to-use forensic method that is easy to deploy in-field. Pangolins are small, scaly mammals that reside in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa and are the most heavily trafficked wild mammal in the world. Pangolin scales are consumed, as they are believed to have healing or magical properties. This study aimed to find an effective method of visualising latent fingermarks on pangolin scales. Six standard fingermark powders were tested: two types of black and white powders (regular granular and SupraNano powders) and two metallic powders (aluminium and magneta flake). In addition, three fluorescent powders (fpNatural® 1 and 2 and red fluorescent powder) were investigated. Black gelatine was primarily tested as a lifting apparatus. The study compared the efficacy of black gelatine, two types of tape, and silicone putty lifters in lifting fingermarks on pangolin scales. Lifted fingermarks were then imaged with the Digital Capture Suite DCS®4 (standard) and DCS®5 (fluorescent powders) imaging systems. A further study was conducted evaluating the ability of the three best powders to visualise marks aged for three and seven days. Aluminium and magneta flake powders were significantly more effective than other standard powders, yielding more fingermarks suitable for comparison and search on fingermark databases. Red fluorescent powder was the most effective of the fluorescent powders. The black gelatine lifter was not noticeably more effective than the two tape lifters tested. It is estimated that tape would be the optimal alternative lifting tool to use if black gelatine melts on hot wildlife crime scenes. The impact of this study is that these techniques can be deployed in remote areas where they are urgently needed to fight crime, providing additional forensic tools to anti-poaching agents on the front line tackling pangolin poaching. This will lead to an increase in convictions of pangolin poachers, which could lead to dismantling pangolin supply chains, prosecuting organised crime syndicates, and preventing further pangolin poaching. •Pangolins are the most trafficked animal globally, largely exploited for their scales.•This study examines powders and lifters to visualise fingermarks on pangolin scales.•Aluminium, magneta flake and red fluorescent powder were most successful.•Forensic tape and gelatine lifters were more successful than Isomark forming putty.•The quality of ridge detail visualised significantly decreased over seven days, though ridge detail suitable for comparison and search was observed after a week.

The illegal movement of wildlife poses a public health, conservation and biosecurity threat, however there are currently minimal screening tools available at international ports of entry to intercept wildlife trafficking efforts. This review first aimed to explore the screening tools available or under development for the detection of concealed wildlife contraband at international ports, including postal services, airlines, road border crossings and maritime routes. Where evidence was deficient, publications detailing the use of methods to uncover other illicit substances, such as narcotics, weapons, human trafficking, explosives, radioactive materials, or special nuclear material, were compiled and assessed for their applicability to the detection of wildlife. The first search identified only four citations related to the detection of wildlife, however the secondary search revealed 145 publications, including 59 journal articles and 86 conference proceedings, describing screening tools for non-wildlife illicit contraband detection. The screening tools uncovered were analysed for potential fitness for purpose for wildlife contraband detection, to evaluate the feasibility of their implementation and their ease of use. The deficiencies evident in terms of resource availability and research efforts targeting wildlife trafficking highlights a potentially substantial national and international security threat which must be addressed.

Abstract Human-driven biodiversity loss, intensified by illegal hunting and trafficking, has caused severe wildlife population declines and extinctions, necessitating studies on long-term genomic erosion to inform conservation strategies. While temporal genomic analyses using ancient and historical/museum DNA reveal generational impacts, sparse sampling often limits insights into prolonged declines, highlighting the need for time-resolved studies to understand sequential population decline and species persistence under sustained pressures. The Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla), critically endangered as a result of historical overexploitation, has experienced severe continuous population decline pre-1979, 1980–1999, and post-2000. However, the temporal genetic consequences and associated extinction risks remain poorly understood. We analyzed 228 pangolin genomes (133 newly sequenced), spanning continuous population decline, to assess the dynamics of genomic erosion. Our results demonstrate that persistent population decline drives long-term genetic decline within populations, with the severity of population decline correlating directly with the degree of negative genetic impact (e.g. reduced diversity, increased inbreeding and genetic load) and extinction risk. Counterintuitively, however, between populations, those experiencing the most severe population decline (e.g. southwest China) exhibited less extreme relative genetic consequences compared to less severe population decline (e.g. south China), suggesting a stronger dependence on the history of effective population size before population decline. Critically, the contemporary South China population shows significantly lower genetic diversity, higher inbreeding, elevated genetic load, and consequently higher extinction risk, demanding urgent prioritization for conservation. This study provides novel insights into the complex genomic legacy of continuous population decline, elucidating anthropogenic impacts on genetic erosion and offering a scientific framework for targeted conservation strategies.

The Chinese pangolin Manis pentadactyla is categorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List because of illegal hunting, trafficking and habitat loss across its range. Although previously reported from many parts of Nepal, its presence in Sunsari district has remained unverified. We documented the first photographic evidence of the Chinese pangolin in Sunsari district through a short-term camera-trap survey in Panchakanya forest, a sacred but highly disturbed community forest in the Siwalik foothills. Two camera traps were rotated over 14 nights at selected trails and burrows in January 2025. After 7 nights, a male Chinese pangolin was recorded, confirming the species’ presence for the first time in this district. Field observations indicated abundant foraging signs linked to soft, moist soils supporting ant and termite colonies, aligning with the pangolin’s specialized diet and burrowing habits. This confirmed record increases the number of districts in which the Chinese pangolin has been documented in Nepal to 28. The presence of the Chinese pangolin in a fragmented, disturbed sacred forest highlights both the adaptability of this pangolin and the conservation value of culturally protected community forests outside protected areas.

Background The critically endangered Formosan pangolin ( Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla ) faces severe conservation challenges, with gastrointestinal (GI) disorders being a primary driver of mortality in captivity. These ailments are often exacerbated by dietary transitions and anthropogenic stress. While the gut microbiota is crucial for host health, the probiotic potential of the pangolin’s native microbes remains unexplored. This study aimd to isolate lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from wild pangolin feces and preliminarily characterize their probiotic properties. Results Ten LAB strains with < 97.3% 16S rRNA gene similarity to known species likely represent undescribed lineages within Lactobacillus and Limosilactobacillus . Phylogenetic analysis revealed two clusters: three Lactobacillus strains related to L. jensenii and L. psittaci , and seven Limosilactobacillus strains close to L. fermentum . All isolates showed strong acid and bile tolerance and high cell surface hydrophobicity (> 90%). The Lactobacillus cluster exhibited superior auto-aggregation (> 80%), pathogen co-aggregation, and organic acid-mediated antibacterial activity, along with cellular component-driven inhibition of α-glucosidase (66.5–69.4%) and α-amylase (75.8–77.2%). In contrast, Limosilactobacillus strains demonstrated metabolite-mediated enzyme inhibition (up to 84.1%) and antioxidant activity (25.6–48.2% TAC; 36.3–46.3% DPPH). All isolates were susceptible to cell wall and protein synthesis inhibitors, confirming a safe antibiotic profile. Conclusion These findings identify a reservoir of novel, pangolin-derived LAB with multifaceted probiotic traits. These isolates represent promising candidates for targeted nutritional strategies to mitigate GI distress and improve the survival of this endangered mammal. This work bridges the gap between microbial ecology and practical wildlife conservation, offering a scientific basis for enhancing the health of captive pangolin populations.