DFO, ATHAGARH RESCUED PANGOLIN FROM QUARANTINE (!).

Bureau,Odishabarta

ATHAGARH:A pangolin which was rescued from a quarantine centre in Badamba area under Athagarh Forest Division in Cuttack district will undergo COVID-19 test.

Athagarh Divisional Forest Officer, Sasmita Lenka said: “As the pangolin has been rescued from a quarantine centre, we have decided to send its swab sample for COVID-19 testing before releasing it into the wild.” She added that the Centre for Wildlife Health (CWH) at OUAT in Bhubaneswar is likely to facilitate the process.

However, officials at the OUAT have said that the CWH does not have facility or permission from the government for COVID-19 test.  The swab sample of the ant-eater will be sent to a laboratory where the test is being conducted.

Following spotting of the pangolin in the quarantine centre, the inmates informed the forest department. Athagarh DFO and other forest personnel rushed to the spot and rescued the animal.

#agencies