Relevance: GS-3 (Environment, Conservation & Security) | Source: The Hindu

1. The Core News in Brief

Pangolins are the most illegally trafficked mammals globally, heavily hunted for their meat and scales.

Recently, scientists created a breakthrough “genetic map”. This tool allows law enforcement agencies to trace smuggled pangolins back to their exact home forests, even if the DNA from the seized scales is heavily damaged.

2. The Scientific Breakthrough (How it Works)

• The Problem: Pangolin scales are made of keratin (like our fingernails). During smuggling, the DNA inside these scales degrades quickly, making traditional forensic tracking very difficult.
• The Solution: Scientists focused on just 671 specific gene locations instead of the whole DNA. This acts like a GPS tracker.
• The Result: Even with poor-quality DNA from seized bags of scales, authorities can now identify the exact geographic origin of the poached animal.

3. Key Findings & The India Connection

The study mapped the illegal supply chains of the most-traded pangolins:

• Global Hubs: Major poaching centres were found in Cameroon (Africa), Borneo (Indonesia), and Myanmar.
• The India Connection: The research proved that Northeastern India (especially Assam and Arunachal Pradesh) is a major active poaching hub. Pangolins caught here are smuggled across the border to Myanmar, and eventually to China.

4. Strategic Importance for Administration

• Proactive Policing: Earlier, agencies like India’s Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) caught smugglers at airports long after the animal was dead. With DNA mapping, authorities know the exact “source forests” and can increase ground patrols to stop poaching before it happens.
• Crushing Global Syndicates: By tracing the origin, global agencies like INTERPOL can destroy the entire transnational smuggling network from the roots up, rather than just arresting low-level local smugglers.

5. UPSC Value Box: Know the Pangolin

• Unique Traits: It is the world’s only mammal fully covered in protective scales. They eat ants and termites. When scared, they roll into a tight ball. This protects them from wild animals but makes them very easy for human poachers to pick up.
• Species in India: India has two of the eight global species:
  1. Indian Pangolin: Found across India (except the Northeast). IUCN Status: Endangered.
  2. Chinese Pangolin: Found only in the Northeast (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh). IUCN Status: Critically Endangered.
• Strict Legal Protection: Both receive the absolute highest protection under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Globally, commercial trade is strictly banned under CITES Appendix I.

Q. With reference to Pangolins and their conservation status in India, consider the following statements:

1. The pangolin is the only mammal entirely covered in keratin scales.
2. The Indian Pangolin is naturally found in all states of the Northeast, while the Chinese Pangolin is restricted to Peninsular India.
3. Both the Indian and Chinese Pangolins are legally protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: (b) 1 and 3 only

Concise Explanation Hints:

• Statement 1 is correct: It is the only mammal globally covered in keratin scales.
• Statement 2 is incorrect: The geography is reversed. The Chinese Pangolin lives in the Northeast, while the Indian Pangolin lives in the rest of India.
• Statement 3 is correct: Both species face extreme poaching and are granted the highest legal protection (Schedule I) under Indian law.