A white-bellied pangolin cub was born last month at Brookfield Zoo Chicago. The scaly, endangered mammal is the latest addition to the 13 pangolins in the zoo’s care.
The pangolin is one of the most trafficked mammals in the world, but the creature is probably best known for potentially pass COVID-19 on humans, triggering the year-long global pandemic.
Brookfield is one of only a few zoos in the United States that successfully breed and breed pangolins. This has allowed the zoo to study the species’ reproductive behaviors and needs, valuable insights that support conservation efforts, the zoo said in a statement Thursday. The zoo established the North American Pangolin Consortium in 2016.
“Having pangolins in professional care provides a great opportunity for scientists and zoo specialists to learn as much as we can about the natural history of the species … to ensure the success of conservation of pangolins in the wild,” Mark Wanner, assistant vice president for animal care and conservation, the statement said.
The animal has a distinctive cone-shaped head and sharp artichoke-shaped scales. A fully grown pangolin is between 24 and 40 inches long, with the tail making up half the length. The creature has no teeth, it swallows its prey whole. It mainly eats ants and termites, according to the zoo.
Native to Asia and Africa, the pangolin, nicknamed the “scaly anteater,” ranges from vulnerable to critically endangered, according to the zoo. The population of all eight species of pangolin is declining, mainly due to poaching from the wild. They are sold in the illegal bushmeat trade and their scales are used in Asian medicines and jewellery.
Another threat to the wild pangolin is habitat loss and degradation, according to the zoo.
Caring for pangolins in Brookfield “also gives us the opportunity to raise awareness of the plight all pangolins worldwide face due to illegal and unsustainable harvesting for food and scales,” Wanner said.
The “Pango Pup,” born July 25, and its mother, Virginia, are being cared for behind the scenes at Brookfield Zoo. But one is available to the public at the zoo’s “Habitat Africa! The Forest” exhibit.