Wildlife Conservation and Protection

• Pangolins, the world’s most trafficked mammals, frequently appear in wildlife seizures, yet there is no universal system for tracking or identifying individual animals.
• Researchers proposed what they call the Pangolin Universal Notching System (PUNS), a standardized way to assign unique identification numbers to up to 15,554 individuals.
• PUNS combines marking techniques used for turtles and hoofed mammals by gently drilling holes in selected scales along a pangolin’s back for permanent, minimally invasive identification.
• Conservationists say the proposed system could improve pangolin traceability and disrupt trafficking networks but note some limitations and challenges in achieving global adoption.