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The pangolin: An armored, insect-controlling mammal

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Monday, October 13, 2025

Watch this video to learn more about the amazing pangolin. Image via A. J. T. Johnsingh/ WWF-India/ NCF/ Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Deep within the tropical forests of Asia and Africa lives a creature that seems to have stepped out of an ancient legend. With its body covered in scales, surprisingly long tongue and curious way of walking, the pangolin is one of the most unique animals on the planet. Yet despite its striking appearance, very few have seen one in the wild. And even fewer understand its vital role in maintaining the ecological balance of its habitat. Unfortunately, the pangolin faces a serious threat. Poaching and illegal trafficking have made it the most trafficked mammal in the world. How can such an unknown animal be on the brink of extinction? To protect it, we must first get to know it. Discover why the pangolin is a truly one-of-a-kind creature. The pangolin has an almost impenetrable armor The pangolin is easily recognized by its body covered in tough scales made of keratin, the same substance found in human fingernails and rhinoceroses’ horns. These scales form a natural armor that serves as its main defense mechanism. When threatened, the pangolin curls up into a nearly impenetrable ball, protecting its most vulnerable parts. There are eight recognized species of pangolin, four in Asia and four in Africa. Although they vary in size and color, they share certain physical characteristics. They have elongated bodies, short legs with strong claws, and some species have prehensile tails. They lack teeth, which may seem like a disadvantage, but they are perfectly adapted to their insect-based diet. To stay safe, pangolins curl up into a ball, covering themselves with their hard, protective scales. Image via U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters/ Wikipedia (CC BY 2.0). How pangolins get around This animal has a curious way of walking. Although it’s a quadruped (with four legs), it often walks mainly on its hind legs, using its front legs only partially. This is because its front legs have very long, sharp claws. They use them to tear open termite mounds and anthills. To avoid wearing down or damaging these claws while moving, many pangolins walk with their wrists bent or even in a semi-upright position, relying more on their back legs. There are also arboreal (tree-dwelling) species of pangolins. These pangolins use their long, curved claws to climb tree bark. They also have prehensile tails that help them grip branches and maintain balance. Their bodies are muscular and flexible, allowing them to move easily among branches. Pangolins have strong, curved claws on their front legs, which they use for tearing open ant and termite nests. Their front legs are shorter and more muscular for digging, while their longer hind legs support walking, often with the front claws tucked under to protect them. Image via pma/ iNaturalist (CC BY 4.0). Pangolin vs. armadillo: How similar are they? At first glance, many people confuse pangolins with armadillos due to their armor-like bodies. However, these similarities are a perfect example of convergent evolution. This is when different species develop similar traits due to similar ecological needs, even though they are not closely related. Armadillos are native to the Americas, while pangolins live in Asia and Africa. Genetically and evolutionarily, they are quite distant: the armadillo belongs to the order Cingulata, along with sloths and anteaters, while the pangolin is the only member of its order (Pholidota), making it even more unique. Another major difference is their body covering. Pangolin scales are made of keratin, while the armadillo’s shell is bony and more rigid. Additionally, armadillos are strong swimmers and expert diggers, whereas pangolins are agile climbers, although some species also dig burrows. So, despite their outward similarity, they differ greatly in behavior, habitat and evolution. Many species of pangolins are excellent climbers. They use their strong claws and prehensile tails to grip branches and navigate trees with ease, especially in forested environments. What makes the pangolin special? Unlike other mammals, the pangolin has a slow metabolism and nocturnal habits, making it even harder to spot. It is a peaceful, solitary and very shy animal that prefers the quiet of forests or savannas to live its life undisturbed. The pangolin is a specialized insectivore, feeding almost exclusively on ants and termites. Its tongue can be longer than its own body! It uses its tongue to explore underground tunnels and consume insects at high speed. Plus, it produces sticky saliva to catch its prey effectively. Pangolins also play an important ecological role in their environment. They can consume up to 70 million insects per year, helping to control pests and maintain ecosystem balance. It’s a natural cleaner, essential for environmental health. Pangolins eat large numbers of ants and termites, helping to keep the environment balanced and naturally controlling pest populations. What are baby pangolins like? Despite their scaly appearance, pangolins are mammals, and their young are born alive after a gestation period of four to five months, depending on the species. Usually, the mother gives birth to a single baby, though in rare cases there may be two. At birth, the young weigh between 0.18 and 0.99 pounds (80 to 450 grams) and are already covered in scales, although they are soft and pinkish at first. Over the following days, the scales harden, forming the protective armor that defines the species. Pangolin babies are born with their eyes open and have a remarkable ability to cling to their mother from the start. During the first weeks of life, the baby stays very close to the mother. When the mother moves, the baby clings tightly to her tail, and when resting, she curls up around the baby to shield it with her body and scales. This maternal behavior is essential for the baby’s survival, as it relies completely on its mother for nourishment and protection. In the early months, it feeds exclusively on her milk, although later it begins to eat ants and termites. Sadly, both baby and adult pangolins face serious threats. Illegal trafficking – driven by the demand for their scales and meat in Asian and African markets – has put all pangolin species at risk of extinction. This is especially critical because pangolins reproduce very slowly, making population recovery extremely difficult. Mother pangolins protect their babies by curling around them, forming a protective ball with their tough, scaly bodies. The most trafficked mammal in the world: the tragedy of illegal trade Despite their shy and peaceful nature, pangolins have drawn the wrong kind of attention: they are the most trafficked mammal in the world. It is estimated that millions have been captured over recent decades, particularly in Asia, due largely to unfounded myths about their supposed medicinal properties. In some Asian cultures – especially in China and Vietnam – there is a false belief that their scales can cure diseases such as asthma, arthritis or even cancer, despite a total lack of scientific evidence. Additionally, their meat is considered a rare delicacy and a status symbol. These myths have led to indiscriminate hunting of the pangolin. This trafficking has pushed all eight pangolin species to the brink of extinction. Some, such as the Chinese and Sunda pangolins, are already critically endangered. Habitat loss, uncontrolled hunting and a lack of public awareness about their ecological importance are worsening the crisis. Sadly, pangolins are the most heavily trafficked mammals in the world, suffering from illegal trade and poaching for their scales and meat. Image via Shukran888/ Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). What’s being done to protect them? In 2016, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) completely banned international trade of pangolins. Additionally, conservation organizations and governments are promoting protection programs, environmental education and rehabilitation of rescued animals. Still, pangolins need more than laws; they need respect, awareness and action. Only through collaboration between communities, governments and global citizens can we ensure that this enigmatic forest guardian does not disappear forever. And you? Had you heard of the pangolin before reading this? Perhaps now you’ll see it with different eyes, not as a rarity, but as a symbol of the biodiversity we are either about to lose … or save. These animals are irresistibly cute and walk like tiny T. rexes, balancing on their hind legs with their front claws held up like little arms! Bottom line: Covered in armor and curled in mystery, the pangolin is an endangered species in Asia and Africa. Learn more about them here. Read more: Anteaters are vacuum-like animals: Lifeform of the week Sloths are our calm and smiley lifeform of the week Spiky porcupines are our lifeform of the weekThe post The pangolin: An armored, insect-controlling mammal first appeared on EarthSky.

Covered in armor and curled in mystery, the pangolin is an endangered species in Asia and Africa. Learn more about them here. The post The pangolin: An armored, insect-controlling mammal first appeared on EarthSky.

Watch this video to learn more about the amazing pangolin. Image via A. J. T. Johnsingh/ WWF-India/ NCF/ Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Deep within the tropical forests of Asia and Africa lives a creature that seems to have stepped out of an ancient legend. With its body covered in scales, surprisingly long tongue and curious way of walking, the pangolin is one of the most unique animals on the planet. Yet despite its striking appearance, very few have seen one in the wild. And even fewer understand its vital role in maintaining the ecological balance of its habitat.

Unfortunately, the pangolin faces a serious threat. Poaching and illegal trafficking have made it the most trafficked mammal in the world. How can such an unknown animal be on the brink of extinction? To protect it, we must first get to know it. Discover why the pangolin is a truly one-of-a-kind creature.

The pangolin has an almost impenetrable armor

The pangolin is easily recognized by its body covered in tough scales made of keratin, the same substance found in human fingernails and rhinoceroses’ horns. These scales form a natural armor that serves as its main defense mechanism. When threatened, the pangolin curls up into a nearly impenetrable ball, protecting its most vulnerable parts.

There are eight recognized species of pangolin, four in Asia and four in Africa. Although they vary in size and color, they share certain physical characteristics. They have elongated bodies, short legs with strong claws, and some species have prehensile tails. They lack teeth, which may seem like a disadvantage, but they are perfectly adapted to their insect-based diet.

Animal covered in scales looks like a ball. None of its vulnerable parts are visible. — To stay safe, pangolins curl up into a ball, covering themselves with their hard, protective scales. Image via U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters/ Wikipedia (CC BY 2.0).

How pangolins get around

This animal has a curious way of walking. Although it’s a quadruped (with four legs), it often walks mainly on its hind legs, using its front legs only partially.

This is because its front legs have very long, sharp claws. They use them to tear open termite mounds and anthills. To avoid wearing down or damaging these claws while moving, many pangolins walk with their wrists bent or even in a semi-upright position, relying more on their back legs.

There are also arboreal (tree-dwelling) species of pangolins. These pangolins use their long, curved claws to climb tree bark. They also have prehensile tails that help them grip branches and maintain balance. Their bodies are muscular and flexible, allowing them to move easily among branches.

Dark brown animal as seen from the front. It has scales covering its body, a small head and very long claws at the front legs. — Pangolins have strong, curved claws on their front legs, which they use for tearing open ant and termite nests. Their front legs are shorter and more muscular for digging, while their longer hind legs support walking, often with the front claws tucked under to protect them. Image via pma/ iNaturalist (CC BY 4.0).

Pangolin vs. armadillo: How similar are they?

At first glance, many people confuse pangolins with armadillos due to their armor-like bodies. However, these similarities are a perfect example of convergent evolution. This is when different species develop similar traits due to similar ecological needs, even though they are not closely related.

Armadillos are native to the Americas, while pangolins live in Asia and Africa. Genetically and evolutionarily, they are quite distant: the armadillo belongs to the order Cingulata, along with sloths and anteaters, while the pangolin is the only member of its order (Pholidota), making it even more unique.

Another major difference is their body covering. Pangolin scales are made of keratin, while the armadillo’s shell is bony and more rigid. Additionally, armadillos are strong swimmers and expert diggers, whereas pangolins are agile climbers, although some species also dig burrows. So, despite their outward similarity, they differ greatly in behavior, habitat and evolution.

Many species of pangolins are excellent climbers. They use their strong claws and prehensile tails to grip branches and navigate trees with ease, especially in forested environments.

What makes the pangolin special?

Unlike other mammals, the pangolin has a slow metabolism and nocturnal habits, making it even harder to spot. It is a peaceful, solitary and very shy animal that prefers the quiet of forests or savannas to live its life undisturbed.

The pangolin is a specialized insectivore, feeding almost exclusively on ants and termites. Its tongue can be longer than its own body! It uses its tongue to explore underground tunnels and consume insects at high speed. Plus, it produces sticky saliva to catch its prey effectively.

Pangolins also play an important ecological role in their environment. They can consume up to 70 million insects per year, helping to control pests and maintain ecosystem balance. It’s a natural cleaner, essential for environmental health.

Pangolins eat large numbers of ants and termites, helping to keep the environment balanced and naturally controlling pest populations.

What are baby pangolins like?

Despite their scaly appearance, pangolins are mammals, and their young are born alive after a gestation period of four to five months, depending on the species.

Usually, the mother gives birth to a single baby, though in rare cases there may be two. At birth, the young weigh between 0.18 and 0.99 pounds (80 to 450 grams) and are already covered in scales, although they are soft and pinkish at first. Over the following days, the scales harden, forming the protective armor that defines the species. Pangolin babies are born with their eyes open and have a remarkable ability to cling to their mother from the start.

During the first weeks of life, the baby stays very close to the mother. When the mother moves, the baby clings tightly to her tail, and when resting, she curls up around the baby to shield it with her body and scales.

This maternal behavior is essential for the baby’s survival, as it relies completely on its mother for nourishment and protection. In the early months, it feeds exclusively on her milk, although later it begins to eat ants and termites.

Sadly, both baby and adult pangolins face serious threats. Illegal trafficking – driven by the demand for their scales and meat in Asian and African markets – has put all pangolin species at risk of extinction. This is especially critical because pangolins reproduce very slowly, making population recovery extremely difficult.

Mother pangolins protect their babies by curling around them, forming a protective ball with their tough, scaly bodies.

The most trafficked mammal in the world: the tragedy of illegal trade

Despite their shy and peaceful nature, pangolins have drawn the wrong kind of attention: they are the most trafficked mammal in the world. It is estimated that millions have been captured over recent decades, particularly in Asia, due largely to unfounded myths about their supposed medicinal properties.

In some Asian cultures – especially in China and Vietnam – there is a false belief that their scales can cure diseases such as asthma, arthritis or even cancer, despite a total lack of scientific evidence. Additionally, their meat is considered a rare delicacy and a status symbol. These myths have led to indiscriminate hunting of the pangolin.

This trafficking has pushed all eight pangolin species to the brink of extinction. Some, such as the Chinese and Sunda pangolins, are already critically endangered. Habitat loss, uncontrolled hunting and a lack of public awareness about their ecological importance are worsening the crisis.

Adult pangolin curled up and young pangolin on top. — Sadly, pangolins are the most heavily trafficked mammals in the world, suffering from illegal trade and poaching for their scales and meat. Image via Shukran888/ Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

What’s being done to protect them?

In 2016, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) completely banned international trade of pangolins. Additionally, conservation organizations and governments are promoting protection programs, environmental education and rehabilitation of rescued animals.

Still, pangolins need more than laws; they need respect, awareness and action. Only through collaboration between communities, governments and global citizens can we ensure that this enigmatic forest guardian does not disappear forever.

And you? Had you heard of the pangolin before reading this? Perhaps now you’ll see it with different eyes, not as a rarity, but as a symbol of the biodiversity we are either about to lose … or save.

These animals are irresistibly cute and walk like tiny T. rexes, balancing on their hind legs with their front claws held up like little arms!

Bottom line: Covered in armor and curled in mystery, the pangolin is an endangered species in Asia and Africa. Learn more about them here.

Anteaters are vacuum-like animals: Lifeform of the week

Sloths are our calm and smiley lifeform of the week

Spiky porcupines are our lifeform of the week

The post The pangolin: An armored, insect-controlling mammal first appeared on EarthSky.

Read the full story here.

Photos courtesy of

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Contributor: 'Save the whales' worked for decades, but now gray whales are starving

The once-booming population that passed California twice a year has cratered because of retreating sea ice. A new kind of intervention is needed.

Recently, while sailing with friends on San Francisco Bay, I enjoyed the sight of harbor porpoises, cormorants, pelicans, seals and sea lions — and then the spouting plume and glistening back of a gray whale that gave me pause. Too many have been seen inside the bay recently.California’s gray whales have been considered an environmental success story since the passage of the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act and 1986’s global ban on commercial whaling. They’re also a major tourist attraction during their annual 12,000-mile round-trip migration between the Arctic and their breeding lagoons in Baja California. In late winter and early spring — when they head back north and are closest to the shoreline, with the moms protecting the calves — they can be viewed not only from whale-watching boats but also from promontories along the California coast including Point Loma in San Diego, Point Lobos in Monterey and Bodega Head and Shelter Cove in Northern California.In 1972, there were some 10,000 gray whales in the population on the eastern side of the Pacific. Generations of whaling all but eliminated the western population — leaving only about 150 alive today off of East Asia and Russia. Over the four decades following passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the eastern whale numbers grew steadily to 27,000 by 2016, a hopeful story of protection leading to restoration. Then, unexpectedly over the last nine years, the eastern gray whale population has crashed, plummeting by more than half to 12,950, according to a recent report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the lowest numbers since the 1970s.Today’s changing ocean and Arctic ice conditions linked to fossil-fuel-fired climate change are putting this species again at risk of extinction.While there has been some historical variation in their population, gray whales — magnificent animals that can grow up to 50 feet long and weigh as much as 80,000 pounds — are now regularly starving to death as their main food sources disappear. This includes tiny shrimp-like amphipods in the whales’ summer feeding grounds in the Arctic. It’s there that the baleen filter feeders spend the summer gorging on tiny crustaceans from the muddy bottom of the Bering, Chuckchi and Beaufort seas, creating shallow pits or potholes in the process. But, with retreating sea ice, there is less under-ice algae to feed the amphipods that in turn feed the whales. Malnourished and starving whales are also producing fewer offspring.As a result of more whales washing up dead, NOAA declared an “unusual mortality event” in California in 2019. Between 2019 and 2025, at least 1,235 gray whales were stranded dead along the West Coast. That’s eight times greater than any previous 10-year average.While there seemed to be some recovery in 2024, 2025 brought back the high casualty rates. The hungry whales now come into crowded estuaries like San Francisco Bay to feed, making them vulnerable to ship traffic. Nine in the bay were killed by ship strikes last year while another 12 appear to have died of starvation.Michael Stocker, executive director of the acoustics group Ocean Conservation Research, has been leading whale-viewing trips to the gray whales’ breeding ground at San Ignacio Lagoon in Baja California since 2006. “When we started going, there would be 400 adult whales in the lagoon, including 100 moms and their babies,” he told me. “This year we saw about 100 adult whales, only five of which were in momma-baby pairs.” Where once the predators would not have dared to hunt, he said that more recently, “orcas came into the lagoon and ate a couple of the babies because there were not enough adult whales to fend them off.”Southern California’s Gray Whale Census & Behavior Project reported record-low calf counts last year.The loss of Arctic sea ice and refusal of the world’s nations recently gathered at the COP30 Climate Summit in Brazil to meet previous commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions suggest that the prospects for gray whales and other wildlife in our warming seas, including key food species for humans such as salmon, cod and herring, look grim.California shut down the nation’s last whaling station in 1971. And yet now whales that were once hunted for their oil are falling victim to the effects of the petroleum or “rock oil” that replaced their melted blubber as a source of light and lubrication. That’s because the burning of oil, coal and gas are now overheating our blue planet. While humans have gone from hunting to admiring whales as sentient beings in recent decades, our own intelligence comes into question when we fail to meet commitments to a clean carbon-free energy future. That could be the gray whales’ last best hope, if there is any.David Helvarg is the executive director of Blue Frontier, an ocean policy group, and co-host of “Rising Tide: The Ocean Podcast.” He is the author of the forthcoming “Forest of the Sea: The Remarkable Life and Imperiled Future of Kelp.”

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Pills that communicate from the stomach could improve medication adherence

MIT engineers designed capsules with biodegradable radio frequency antennas that can reveal when the pill has been swallowed.

In an advance that could help ensure people are taking their medication on schedule, MIT engineers have designed a pill that can report when it has been swallowed.The new reporting system, which can be incorporated into existing pill capsules, contains a biodegradable radio frequency antenna. After it sends out the signal that the pill has been consumed, most components break down in the stomach while a tiny RF chip passes out of the body through the digestive tract.This type of system could be useful for monitoring transplant patients who need to take immunosuppressive drugs, or people with infections such as HIV or TB, who need treatment for an extended period of time, the researchers say.“The goal is to make sure that this helps people receive the therapy they need to help maximize their health,” says Giovanni Traverso, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at MIT, a gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and an associate member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.Traverso is the senior author of the new study, which appears today in Nature Communications. Mehmet Girayhan Say, an MIT research scientist, and Sean You, a former MIT postdoc, are the lead authors of the paper.A pill that communicatesPatients’ failure to take their medicine as prescribed is a major challenge that contributes to hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths and billions of dollars in health care costs annually.To make it easier for people to take their medication, Traverso’s lab has worked on delivery capsules that can remain in the digestive tract for days or weeks, releasing doses at predetermined times. 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The outer layer of the capsule is made from gelatin coated with a layer of cellulose and either molybdenum or tungsten, which blocks any RF signal from being emitted.Once the capsule is swallowed, the coating breaks down, releasing the drug along with the RF antenna. The antenna can then pick up an RF signal sent from an external receiver and, working with a small RF chip, sends back a signal to confirm that the capsule was swallowed. This communication happens within 10 minutes of the pill being swallowed.The RF chip, which is about 400 by 400 micrometers, is an off-the-shelf chip that is not biodegradable and would need to be excreted through the digestive tract. All of the other components would break down in the stomach within a week.“The components are designed to break down over days using materials with well-established safety profiles, such as zinc and cellulose, which are already widely used in medicine,” Say says. “Our goal is to avoid long-term accumulation while enabling reliable confirmation that a pill was taken, and longer-term safety will continue to be evaluated as the technology moves toward clinical use.”Promoting adherenceTests in an animal model showed that the RF signal was successfully transmitted from inside the stomach and could be read by an external receiver at a distance up to 2 feet away. If developed for use in humans, the researchers envision designing a wearable device that could receive the signal and then transmit it to the patient’s health care team.The researchers now plan to do further preclinical studies and hope to soon test the system in humans. One patient population that could benefit greatly from this type of monitoring is people who have recently had organ transplants and need to take immunosuppressant drugs to make sure their body doesn’t reject the new organ.“We want to prioritize medications that, when non-adherence is present, could have a really detrimental effect for the individual,” Traverso says.Other populations that could benefit include people who have recently had a stent inserted and need to take medication to help prevent blockage of the stent, people with chronic infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, and people with neuropsychiatric disorders whose conditions may impair their ability to take their medication.The research was funded by Novo Nordisk, MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, the Division of Gastroenterology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), which notes that the views and conclusions contained in this article are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the United States Government.

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New Records Reveal the Mess RFK Jr. Left When He Dumped a Dead Bear in Central Park

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he left a bear cub's corpse in Central Park in 2014 to "be fun." Records newly obtained by WIRED show what he left New York civil servants to clean up.

This story contains graphic imagery.On August 4, 2024, when now-US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was still a presidential candidate, he posted a video on X in which he admitted to dumping a dead bear cub near an old bicycle in Central Park 10 years prior, in a mystifying attempt to make the young bear’s premature death look like a cyclist’s hit and run.WIRED's Guide to How the Universe WorksYour weekly roundup of the best stories on health care, the climate crisis, new scientific discoveries, and more. At the time, Kennedy said he was trying to get ahead of a story The New Yorker was about to publish that mentioned the incident. But in coming clean, Kennedy solved a decade-old New York City mystery: How and why had a young black bear—a wild animal native to the state, but not to modern-era Manhattan—been found dead under a bush near West 69th Street in Central Park?WIRED has obtained documents that shed new light on the incident from the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation via a public records request. The documents—which include previously unseen photos of the bear cub—resurface questions about the bizarre choices Kennedy says he made, which left city employees dealing with the aftermath and lamenting the cub’s short life and grim fate.A representative for Kennedy did not respond for comment. The New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Parks Department referred WIRED to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC). NYDEC spokesperson Jeff Wernick tells WIRED that its investigation into the death of the bear cub was closed in late 2014 “due to a lack of sufficient evidence” to determine if state law was violated. They added that New York’s environmental conservation law forbids “illegal possession of a bear without a tag or permit and illegal disposal of a bear,” and that “the statute of limitations for these offenses is one year.”The first of a number of emails between local officials coordinating the handling of the baby bear’s remains was sent at 10:16 a.m. on October 6, 2014. Bonnie McGuire, then-deputy director at Urban Park Rangers (UPR), told two colleagues that UPR sergeant Eric Handy had recently called her about a “dead black bear” found in Central Park.“NYPD told him they will treat it like a crime scene so he can’t get too close,” McGuire wrote. “I’ve asked him to take pictures and send them over and to keep us posted.”“Poor little guy!” McGuire wrote in a separate email later that morning.According to emails obtained by WIRED, Handy updated several colleagues throughout the day, noting that the NYDEC had arrived on scene, and that the agency was planning to coordinate with the NYPD to transfer the body to the Bronx Zoo, where it would be inspected by the NYPD’s animal cruelty unit and the ASPCA. (This didn’t end up happening, as the NYDEC took the bear to a state lab near Albany.)Imagery of the bear has been public before—local news footage from October 2014 appears to show it from a distance. However, the documents WIRED obtained show previously unpublished images that investigators took of the bear on the scene, which Handy sent as attachments in emails to McGuire. The bear is seen laying on its side in an unnatural position. Its head protrudes from under a bush and rests next to a small patch of grass. Bits of flesh are visible through the bear’s black fur, which was covered in a few brown leaves.Courtesy of NYC Parks

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U.S. Military Ends Practice of Shooting Live Animals to Train Medics to Treat Battlefield Wounds

The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act bans the use of live animals in live fire training exercises and prohibits "painful" research on domestic cats and dogs

U.S. Military Ends Practice of Shooting Live Animals to Train Medics to Treat Battlefield Wounds The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act bans the use of live animals in live fire training exercises and prohibits “painful” research on domestic cats and dogs Sarah Kuta - Daily Correspondent January 5, 2026 12:00 p.m. The U.S. military will no longer shoot live goats and pigs to help combat medics learn to treat battlefield injuries. Pexels The United States military is no longer shooting live animals as part of its trauma training exercises for combat medics. The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which was enacted on December 18, bans the use of live animals—including dogs, cats, nonhuman primates and marine mammals—in any live fire trauma training conducted by the Department of Defense. It directs military leaders to instead use advanced simulators, mannequins, cadavers or actors. According to the Associated Press’ Ben Finley, the bill ends the military’s practice of shooting live goats and pigs to help combat medics learn to treat battlefield injuries. However, the military is allowed to continue other practices involving animals, including stabbing, burning and testing weapons on them. In those scenarios, the animals are supposed to be anesthetized, per the AP. “With today’s advanced simulation technology, we can prepare our medics for the battlefield while reducing harm to animals,” says Florida Representative Vern Buchanan, who advocated for the change, in a statement shared with the AP. He described the military’s practices as “outdated and inhumane” and called the move a “major step forward in reducing unnecessary suffering.” Quick fact: What is the National Defense Authorization Act? The National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, is a law passed each year that authorizes the Department of Defense’s appropriated funds, greenlights the Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons programs and sets defense policies and restrictions, among other activities, for the upcoming fiscal year. Organizations have opposed the military’s use of live animals in trauma training, too, including the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. PETA, a nonprofit animal advocacy group, described the legislation as a “major victory for animals” that will “save countless animals from heinous cruelty” in a statement. The legislation also prohibits “painful research” on domestic cats and dogs, though exceptions can be made under certain circumstances, such as interests of national security. “Painful” research includes any training, experiments or tests that fall into specific pain categories outlined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For example, military cats and dogs can no longer be exposed to extreme environmental conditions or noxious stimuli they cannot escape, nor can they be forced to exercise to the point of distress or exhaustion. The bill comes amid a broader push to end the use of live animals in federal tests, studies and training, reports Linda F. Hersey for Stars and Stripes. After temporarily suspending live tissue training with animals in 2017, the U.S. Coast Guard made the ban permanent in 2018. In 2024, U.S. lawmakers directed the Department of Veterans Affairs to end its experiments on cats, dogs and primates. And in May 2025, the U.S. Navy announced it would no longer conduct research testing on cats and dogs. As the Washington Post’s Ernesto Londoño reported in 2013, the U.S. military has used animals for medical training since at least the Vietnam War. However, the practice largely went unnoticed until 1983, when the U.S. Army planned to anesthetize dogs, hang them from nylon mesh slings and shoot them at an indoor firing range in Maryland. When activists and lawmakers learned of the proposal, they decried the practice and convinced then-Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger to ban the shooting of dogs. However, in 1984, the AP reported the U.S. military would continue shooting live goats and pigs for wound treatment training, with a military medical study group arguing “there is no substitute for the live animals as a study object for hands-on training.” In the modern era, it’s not clear how often and to what extent the military uses animals, per the AP. And despite the Department of Defense’s past efforts to minimize the use of animals for trauma training, a 2022 report from the Government Accountability Office, the watchdog agency charged with providing fact-based, nonpartisan information to Congress, determined that the agency was “unable to fully demonstrate the extent to which it has made progress.” The Defense Health Agency, the U.S. government entity responsible for the military’s medical training, says in a statement shared with the AP that it “remains committed to replacement of animal models without compromising the quality of medical training,” including the use of “realistic training scenarios to ensure medical providers are well-prepared to care for the combat-wounded.” Animal activists say technology has come a long way in recent decades so, beyond the animal welfare concerns, the military simply no longer needs to use live animals for training. Instead, military medics can simulate treating battlefield injuries using “cut suits,” or realistic suits with skin, blood and organs that are worn by a live person to mimic traumatic injuries. However, not everyone agrees. Michael Bailey, an Army combat medic who served two tours in Iraq, told the Washington Post in 2013 that his training with a sedated goat was invaluable. “You don’t get that [sense of urgency] from a mannequin,” he told the publication. “You don’t get that feeling of this mannequin is going to die. When you’re talking about keeping someone alive when physics and the enemy have done their best to do the opposite, it’s the kind of training that you want to have in your back pocket.” Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

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