An Indian villager holds up a Chinese pangolin at Dogaow Village near Kaziranga National Park, India's northeastern Assam state, on July 21, 2014. The Chinese pangolin, a nocturnal mammal covered with keratin scales, is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. AFP Photo
An Indian villager holds up a Chinese pangolin at Dogaow Village near Kaziranga National Park, India's northeastern Assam state, on July 21, 2014. The Chinese pangolin, a nocturnal mammal covered withShow more

Saving anteaters from the dinner tables of Asia



GENEVA // The scaly anteater, which looks like an artichoke with legs and a tail, is being eaten out of existence as its tasty meat is served up at banquets across Asia, conservationists warn.

The mysterious mammal, also known as a pangolin, is the prey of poachers with more than one million believed to have been snatched from the wild in the past decade.

Besides being a luxury food, pangolin scales are also used in Chinese medicine to treat conditions such as psoriasis and poor circulation, contributing to the flourishing of the illegal trade. “In the 21st century we really should not be eating species to extinction – there is simply no excuse for allowing this illegal trade to continue,” said Jonathan Baillie from the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission (IUCN).

“All eight pangolin species are now listed as threatened with extinction, largely because they are being traded to China and Vietnam,” he said, a co-chair of the pangolin specialist group.

In fact, the scaly anteater has become the world’s most illegally traded mammal, which has led the IUCN to step up conservation efforts in Asia and Africa where traders are turning to meet the growing demand.

“A first vital step is for the Chinese and Vietnamese governments to conduct an inventory of their pangolin scale stocks and make this publicly available to prove that wild-caught pangolins are no longer supplying the commercial trade,” said Dan Challender, the other co-chair of the specialist group based at the Zoological Society of London.

Conservationists want to save the pangolin from the dinner table and the annals of extinction as they are highly evolutionarily distinct. Extinction would wipe out 80 million years of evolutionary history.

The name pangolin comes from the Malay word ‘pengguling’ which means something that rolls up, which is what anteaters do when they feel threatened.

The pangolin, which lives on insects in the tropical forests, weighs between two to 35 kilogrammes and measures between 30 to 80 centimetres long. The giant species can be up to 1.5 metres long.

Pangolins were previously grouped with anteaters, sloths and armadillos, but now pangolins are known to be most closely related to carnivores.

* Agence France-Presse

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Rating: 2/5

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Fight card

Bantamweight

Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK) v Rey Nacionales (PHI)

Lightweight

Alexandru Chitoran (ROM) v Hussein Fakhir Abed (SYR)

Catch 74kg

Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) v Omar Hussein (JOR)

Strawweight (Female)

Weronika Zygmunt (POL) v Seo Ye-dam (KOR)

Featherweight

Kaan Ofli (TUR) v Walid Laidi (ALG)

Lightweight

Leandro Martins (BRA) v Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW)

Welterweight

Ahmad Labban (LEB) v Sofiane Benchohra (ALG)

Bantamweight

Jaures Dea (CAM) v Nawras Abzakh (JOR)

Lightweight

Mohammed Yahya (UAE) v Glen Ranillo (PHI)

Lightweight

Alan Omer (GER) v Aidan Aguilera (AUS)

Welterweight

Mounir Lazzez (TUN) Sasha Palatnikov (HKG)

Featherweight title bout

Romando Dy (PHI) v Lee Do-gyeom (KOR)

Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?

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They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.

“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.

He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.

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Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush

Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”

A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.

“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”

FIGHT%20CARD
%3Cp%3EAnthony%20Joshua%20v%20Otto%20Wallin%2C%2012%20rounds%2C%20heavyweight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDeontay%20Wilder%20v%20Joseph%20Parker%2C%2012%20rounds%2C%20heavyweight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDmitry%20Bivol%20v%20Lyndon%20Arthur%2C%2012%20rounds%2C%20light%20heavyweight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDaniel%20Dubois%20v%20Jarrell%20Miller%2C%2012%20rounds%2C%20heavyweight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EFilip%20Hrgovic%20v%20Mark%20de%20Mori%2C%2012%20rounds%2C%20heavyweight%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EArslanbek%20Makhmudov%20v%20Agit%20Kabayel%2C%2012%20rounds%2C%20heavyweight%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EFrank%20Sanchez%20v%20Junior%20Fa%2C%2012%20rounds%2C%20heavyweight%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EJai%20Opetaia%20v%20Ellis%20Zorro%2C%2012%20rounds%2C%20cruiserweight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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