At the National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory, scientists investigate a claim that pangolin scales contain an addictive, painkilling substance called tramadol.
The National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory, in Ashland, Oregon, is the first such facility in the world dedicated to animals—describing itself as “much like a ‘typical’ police lab except the victim is an animal.”
At the lab, forensics experts work to determine the cause of death of animals, to identify the species or subspecies of an animal from a small tissue sample, such as a hair or feather, and to help state, federal, and international law enforcement to determine if a wildlife crime was committed. If that determination is made, the scientists at the lab will also help gather and analyze the evidence.
Recently, four of the lab’s scientists dedicated themselves to testing a relatively new claim about pangolin scales—that they
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