Scientist to highlight plight of the pangolins with fancy dress run in Cambridge

A PhD student at Cambridge University is doing a charity run dressed as a pangolin to highlight their struggle for survival.

Charles Emogor has been fascinated by the scaly mammals since he was a little boy in Nigeria.

Now he's to run for 8 hours dressed as one on World Pangolin Day (February 20) in a Covid-safe event to raise funds and awareness about conserving the creatures.

Cambridge PhD student Charles Emogor with a curled up pangolin Credit: Charles Emogor

There are eight different kinds of pangolins and Charles will run for an hour for each one.

Pangolins are preyed upon by illegal wildlife traders because their meat is a prized delicacy in parts of the world and their scales are used in Chinese medicine.

They have also been in the news because of their suggested links to the pandemic.

Charles tries out his pangolin suit on King's Parade in Cambridge Credit: Charles Emogor

Charles is studying white-bellied pangolins with Professor Andrew Balmford in the Cambridge University Zoology department.

Charles Emogor crosses a bridge in Cambridge as he prepares for his run to help the pangolins Credit: Charles Emogor

Charles is doing the run in partnership with  Save Pangolins and all the money he raises from his run will go to conservation projects in Africa and Asia.

The pangolin is endangered because it is hunted for meat and its scales used for alternative medicines Credit: Charles Emogor