Endangered Pangolin found in Odisha quarantine centre; to be tested for COVID-19

A female pangolin was rescued from a COVID-19 quarantine centre in Odisha's Athagarh area by forest department officials on Tuesday. pangolin will w be tested for Coronavirus, and its swab sample will be sent to a lab. If found negative, animal would be released back in wild. 

Sasmita Lenka, District Forest Officer (DFO), Athagarh while speaking to news ncy ANI said, "As  pangolin was rescued from a quarantine centre in area, we have decided to send its swab for COVID-19 test. test will be conducted with help of Centre for Wildlife Health (CWH) at OUAT Bhubaneswar."

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"Before releasing pangolin, we will do its complete health check-up in order to ensure that animal is fit to be released in wild," she ded. Sasmita stated that an investigation is also being conducted to understand how a pangolin which is an endangered species reached quarantine centre. 

Dr Niranajn Sahoo, he of Department of Preventive Medicine OUAT Bhubaneswar, revealed that swab sample of  pangolin will be sent to a lab where human tests are being conducted. "As CWH doesn't have facility for this test and we also do t have authorised permit from government to conduct a COVID-19 test, swab of Pangolin will be sent to laboratory in Bhubaneswar where tests on people are being conducted," he said.

Listed as endangered, using pangolins for commercial purposes is an unlawful act under Wildlife Protection Act. Earlier, when COVID-19 infection h started spreing in Wuhan, re were some reports which claimed pangolins to be hosts for virus just like bats.

A total of 1,517 coronavirus cases have been reported in Odisha so far. Seven people have succumbed to disease.

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(With ncy Inputs)