A white-bellied pangolin pup was born last month at the Brookfield Zoo Chicago. The scaly endangered mammal is the newest 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 likely best known for potentially passing COVID-19 on to humans, triggering the yearslong global pandemic.
Brookfield is one of only a few zoos in the U.S. to successfully breed and birth 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 species’ natural history … to ensure conservation success for pangolins in the wild,” Mark Wanner, associate vice president of animal care and conservation, said in the statement.
The animal has a distinct 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 its length. The creature doesn’t have 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 for all eight species of pangolin is declining, mainly because they’re poached from the wild. They’re sold in the illegal bushmeat trade and their scales are used in Asian medicines and jewelry.
Another threat to the wild pangolin is habitat loss and degradation, according to the zoo.
Caring for pangolins at Brookfield “also gives us the opportunity to raise awareness about the plight all pangolins worldwide are facing due to illegal and unsustainable harvesting for food and scales,” Wanner said.
The “pangopup,” born July 25, and its mom, Virginia, are cared for behind the scenes at the Brookfield Zoo. But one is available for public viewing at the zoo’s “Habitat Africa! The Forest” exhibit.