Connie, a Formosan pangolin born to parents gifted from Taiwan, celebrated her first birthday on Thursday at Prague Zoo in the Czech Republic.
Born in July last year, Connie is the second Formosan pangolin cub born at the zoo, following her sister Siska (known as Pine Cone), who arrived in February 2023. Both were born to a pair of pangolins sent from Taipei Zoo in 2022.
Prague Zoo spokesperson Filip Masek confirmed that both pangolins are “healthy and well.” While Siska has fully matured, Connie is still about a year away from maturity. She currently weighs 2.6kg, compared with the typical 5kg of a fully grown female.
Photo courtesy of Prague Zoo via CNA
The two pangolins have transitioned to eating bee larvae pulp, a “secret recipe” developed by Taipei Zoo for mature pangolins, Masek said, adding that it takes zoo staff an hour each day to prepare the specialized feed.
Describing the species as “delicate,” Masek said that sophisticated climate control systems have been installed to maintain the right temperature and humidity levels due to their sensitivity.
Since pangolins have poor vision, they might mistake people for trees and attempt to climb them, he said. While this behavior is “cute,” it can be dangerous, as pangolins are vulnerable to human diseases.
“We need to be extremely careful,” he said.
Regarding the future of the zoo’s pangolins, Masek said that due to the absence of a male for Siska to mate with, they might transfer her to Vienna Zoo, where plans are under way to construct a dedicated “pangolin house.”
Masek said that pangolins are unique as the only mammals with scales, with eight species found across Asia and Africa. However, all pangolin species are currently listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to poaching for their meat and scales.
The belief in the “unique healing effects” of pangolin scales is unscientific, as they are made of keratin, the same substance found in human nails, he said.
Despite the lack of evidence for their supposed medicinal properties, this mistaken belief has put pangolins under tremendous threat from poachers seeking their scales due, he added.
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