India: Pangolin rescued from coronavirus-positive man tests positive for Covid-19
A pangolin that was recovered from a COVID-positive man has tested positive for the virus, following which it would be kept in isolation.
Authorities found the creature with a wildlife smuggler in the Indian city of Odisha, reports The Times Of India. Though unconfirmed, pangolins, one of the most illegally trafficked mammals, are said to carry viruses similar to the coronavirus.
The pangolin recovered from Odisha is around two years old and weighs eight kg. Police said the smuggler, identified as Singu Baske from the Mayurbhanj district, confessed to the special squad that he caught the animal from Similipal Wildlife Reserve and intended to sell it.
Odisha: #COVID19 testing of a pangolin, that was recovered from the possession of a man in Mayurbhanj, was done yesterday. The accused had tested positive for COVID. pic.twitter.com/Y1Mxys8L3P
— ANI (@ANI) May 12, 2021
Photo by Louis Mornaud on Unsplash