Forest department officials rescued a pangolin from a COVID-19 quarantine centre in Athagarh forest range in Odisha on Tuesday.
"The mal will be tested for coronavirus by the forest department as a precautionary measure," said Sasmita Lenka, District Forest Officer (DFO), Athagarh.
Listed as endangered, using pangolins for commercial purposes is an unlawful act under the Wildlife Protection Act. Earlier, when the COVID-19 infection had started spreading in Wuhan, China there had been claims that pangolins, just like bats, could be a host for the infection.
( With inputs from ANI )