The female of a pair of Formosan pangolins borrowed by Prague Zoo from Taipei Zoo earlier this year for a breeding project is pregnant, the Czech zoo said on Tuesday.
If four-year-old Run Hou Tang (潤喉糖) gives birth successfully, its offspring would be the first pangolin bred in Europe, zoo director Miroslav Bobek said.
The due date is sometime between the middle of December and the middle of January, Bobek said, calling the animal an ambassador of wild nature and that the delivery “would be a fantastic Christmas gift.”
Photo: CNA
Run Hou Tang and her partner, Guo Bao (果寶), which arrived in the Czech Republic in April, started to live together in June after finishing quarantine.
A recent ultrasound scan and blood test showed that Run Hou Tang is pregnant, after an earlier check in August, he said.
Prague Zoo is the second zoo in Europe to host pangolins from Taiwan, after Zoo Leipzig in Germany.
Taipei Zoo spokesman Eric Tsao (曹先紹) has said that the loan of the two pangolins to Prague Zoo was aimed at creating a breeding network in Europe.
After ditching sisterhood ties with Beijing in October 2019 over a “one China” provision, Prague forged sisterhood ties with Taipei in January 2020, opening the way for the pangolin breeding program.
Upon learning of Run Hou Tang’s pregnancy, Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib said he was pleased to see the sisterhood between Prague and Taipei bear such rare fruit.
“It means that the pair is doing well in Prague Zoo, enjoying a romantic environment,” he said.
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