First Ever Baby Pangolin in Europe Born Safely in Prague Zoo

First Ever Baby Pangolin in Europe Born Safely in Prague Zoo

Source: The Seattle Times

By: Michelle Liew

Part of the endangered species, a Chinese pangolin in care at Prague Zoo, Czech Republic gave birth safely last Thursday, becoming the first Chinese pangolin to give birth in Europe.

The baby pangolin is in good health after facing health problems a few days after birth.

After being born on February 2, zoo workers were worried about the animal's health condition due to weight loss.

In the meantime, the cause of the baby pangolin's weight loss is because its mother, Run Hou Tang, does not have enough milk supply.

As a result of consultation with experts from Taiwan, an artificial milk program using cat milk was introduced to him, while Run Hou Tang had to go through a process to stimulate milk production.

It is understood that the baby pangolin has yet to be named but has been nicknamed "Little Cone" because it resembles a pine seed cone.

In the meantime, Zoo Director Miroslav Bobek informed that his side successfully overcome the first problem.

"The weight of the baby pangolin is only 135 grams. An adult pangolin can reach up to 7 kilograms. This species is native to South China and Southeast Asia - which is the zone that has one of the four pangolin species in Asia. Meanwhile, four more species can be found in Africa," he said.

Prague received the animal from Taiwan last year, making it the second zoo in Europe to have the species. Run Hou Tang, and her male partner, Guo Bao, are from the Taipei Zoo.

It is estimated that nearly 200,000 pangolins were traded in 2019 for use in traditional medicine in Asia and other countries.

Pangolins are also difficult to reproduce in captivity because they need a special diet in addition to an ideal moist environment with a certain temperature.