Tiny DNA samples may soon help investigators track illegal wildlife trafficking more accurately and identify the places where poaching is most intense.
A new study focused on pangolins, one of the world’s most heavily trafficked animals. Pangolins are often hunted for their scales, which are valued in some forms of traditional medicine. In recent years, they have accounted for a large share of international wildlife seizures.
Scientists have long known that genetic data can help trace trafficked animals back to where they came from. But with pangolins, this has been difficult because useful DNA samples are often hard to collect. Many available samples are old, damaged or degraded.
To solve that problem, researchers in France used a gene-capture method that can recover usable genetic information from poor-quality pangolin material.
The team sequenced DNA from more than 700 pangolin samples taken from international trade seizures, museum collections, bushmeat markets and wild populations.
They then used samples with known geographic origins to build a genomic reference map. By comparing seized pangolin DNA to that map, researchers were able to estimate where trafficked animals had likely been captured.
In some cases, the method was precise enough to trace pangolins back to within just a few kilometers of their origin.
The results revealed several major poaching hotspots, including southwest Cameroon, Myanmar and multiple areas across Africa. The genetic data also helped identify trade routes involving Sunda, Chinese and white-bellied pangolins, including routes crossing Chinese borders and moving between Indonesian islands.
The study also showed that domestic and international pangolin markets are connected. Some wild populations are being exploited for both local trade and global trafficking, suggesting a linked supply chain rather than separate systems.
Researchers say this technique could help conservation teams and law enforcement agencies focus limited resources where they are needed most. By identifying key poaching areas, authorities may be able to target illegal networks more effectively.
The scientists also believe the method could be expanded to other trafficked species. To make that possible, they recommend creating stronger DNA databases, using standardized sampling methods and improving data sharing between wildlife crime investigators around the world.
One of the most promising parts of the research is that the gene-capture tool works across all eight pangolin species and can even be used on degraded museum specimens. That makes it practical for both conservation science and forensic investigations.
Because pangolins reproduce slowly, often having only one pup every one or two years, heavy poaching can quickly push populations into decline. New DNA-tracing tools could play an important role in protecting them by showing exactly where trafficking begins — and helping authorities disrupt the networks behind it.