On World Pangolin Day, find out how Grand Prize Winner the University of Washington is protecting pangolins

18 February 2017

Pangolins are some of the most peculiar-looking, and heavily poached, mammals in the world. Today, on World Pangolin Day, we pay special attention to these animals.

Pangolins live in tropical Asia and sub-Saharan Africa and are poached for their meat and scales, and all eight species of pangolin are currently listed as being threatened with extinction. That’s why Challenge Grand Prize Winner the University of Washington is working on a new innovation to help protect these special creatures. Leveraging the power of DNA assignment, their technology solution is designed to sniff out pangolin poaching hotspots, helping authorities identify at-risk pangolin populations and better focus their efforts.

Find out about each of Challenge’s 16 talented Prize Winners and their game-changing innovations to fight wildlife crime here. All of our Prize Winners, including the University of Washington, are looking for partners, organizations, individuals, and funding agencies that can help them scale their solutions. If you would like more information, get in touch at info@wildlifecrimetech.org.