In this episode, we highlight one of the world’s most unusual and trafficked animals, the pangolin. I sit-down with wildlife conservation professional, Lauren Ayres. She’s the pangolin conservation coordinator for the Global Conservation Force (GFC) and currently an educator at one of the nation’s most reputable zoos. We discuss pangolins, the Coronavirus, illegal wildlife trade, the ethics of wet markets, and why we should conserve the world’s only scaly mammal. Other topics include Netflix’s ‘Tiger King’ and Lauren’s early beginnings at a big cat rescue.

For more information, please visit: https://www.laurenayres.com
Follow Lauren on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@laurenswildlife

Global Conservation Force: https://globalconservationforce.org

Sources and links for further reading:

Preliminary reports (Not peer reviewed/published; may be under journal/peer review):

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jmv.25731

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982220303602

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.02.17.951335v1

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.16.993816v2.abstract

Summary of findings (compiled by journalists &/or scientists):

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200317175442.htm

https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-origins-genome-analysis-suggests-two-viruses-may-have-combined-134059

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-chinas-bat-woman-hunted-down-viruses-from-sars-to-the-new-coronavirus1/

https://news.mongabay.com/2020/03/conservationists-set-the-record-straight-on-covid-19s-wildlife-links/?fbclid=IwAR15mMAonbsAT34uwdA2wsQkiW2YmB56k25XFNOES5oZSkT_o9ak-mXR4QU

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00548-w

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