Pangolins in UK zoos
- Thread starter Bwassa
- Start date
Zebraduiker
Well-Known Member
Pangolins never have bred succesfully in zoos. There were some births, but mostly the females came pregnant tot he zoos. I understand under"Breeding"to have regulary youngsters and not just one birth. The Leipzig species, Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla ) has had youngsters only in new York and Rochester, both females came pregant to the Zoo. Teipei has ahd several births, but most of teh youngsters has died within a couple of days-
Pangolins can not be kept succesfully in zoos, to many of them died shortly after the arrival. Fortunately, most zoos won't keewpp anymore pangolins, the animal at L.A was a confiscated animal. It died after only 8 month.
Pangolins can not be kept succesfully in zoos, to many of them died shortly after the arrival. Fortunately, most zoos won't keewpp anymore pangolins, the animal at L.A was a confiscated animal. It died after only 8 month.
Anyway, Taipei zoo learned to keep pangolins for years and recently bred them.
I think earlier problem was diet. Strangely, apparently nobody tried to feed pangolins a diet designed for anteaters or echidnas. And most animals, apparently, arrived already starved and emaciated. But would like to hear more myself.
I think earlier problem was diet. Strangely, apparently nobody tried to feed pangolins a diet designed for anteaters or echidnas. And most animals, apparently, arrived already starved and emaciated. But would like to hear more myself.
Sun Wukong
Well-Known Member
Just because one diet seems to work for one species, it doesn't have to do the same for another, totally different one, no matter how similar their feeding habits appear to be on the surface. Pangolins are no Giant Anteaters or Tamanduas; their diet requirements are more elaborate and tricky. Probably the same might be true for the Silky Anteater.
Leipzig Zoo collaborates with several local honeybee keepers to get the apt amount of bee larvae to add to the diet mix proposed by Taipei zoo. Not many zoos are willing to do that...
Jurek7 mentioned another aspect why pangolin husbandry in zoos has been unsuccessful so far: the animals usually came to the zoos in pretty bad conditions, after long times of incorrect husbandry-not the best ground to start from.
Leipzig Zoo collaborates with several local honeybee keepers to get the apt amount of bee larvae to add to the diet mix proposed by Taipei zoo. Not many zoos are willing to do that...
Jurek7 mentioned another aspect why pangolin husbandry in zoos has been unsuccessful so far: the animals usually came to the zoos in pretty bad conditions, after long times of incorrect husbandry-not the best ground to start from.
Gforrestersmith
Well-Known Member
Are there any Pangolins in United States Zoos?
perhaps asking the question in the United States forum might be a better idea?
As of May 2012, I believe San Diego still had their two White-bellied Tree Pangolin (Manis tricuspis), which are kept offshow but brought out for occasional use in the Children's Zoo talk at 1.30pm, as a user on the San Diego gallery recently posted a photograph taken on May 1st.
http://www.zoochat.com/39/white-bellied-tree-pangolin-270559/
Another photograph of the species at SD can be found here, this one from 2010:
http://www.zoochat.com/39/male-pangolin-2010-a-188090/
This pair are the only pangolins in the USA.
my point was more that Gforrestersmith is utilising the regular troll technique of posting in very old threads that are not relevant to the question (i.e. why ask if there are pangolins in American zoos on a three-year old thread in the UK section?). There are several other examples of him doing this throughout the forum, amongst other troll behaviours.
I was being charitable and assuming he was just someone with a question using a pre-existing thread rather than creating a new one
never noticed any examples of this user doing so in the past.In any case, it's useful information which doubtless others might want to know, so posting it will let anyone searching for the information find it easily, rather than having to look at the post dates of some photographs
Another reason that most of the Pangolins brought into captivity have not flourished is that most are, or were, "rescued" specimens from the illegal trade and have spent time living in poor conditions without access to the correct diet, hence they were in very poor physical condition to start with. But their captive-diet is still not right, there is still a way to go before we can say that their husbandry in captivity is good enough for most species of Pangolin. However, it is an urgent situation because, the massive illegal trade will end up wiping them out. The only safeguard is to establish and maintain healthy captive populations in our zoos , yet this is still a long way off achieving sadly!
First, I agree very much with your assessment.
Second, I would feel it is imperative a captive stock be set up despite the challenges in diet and origins + health status of pangolins as they come in.
Incidentally, what happens husbandry wise to the thousands of live pangolins confiscated every year in S.E. Asia? How do the authorities cope? Have they be able to put proper diet and increase survivability of pangolins in captivity (I am under no illusion as the general husbandry state of affairs in S.E. Asia, despite that ... this question)?
they release them as soon as they can in the nearest area of forest. Few of them go to zoos or other captive situations.
Given the condition most animals are confiscated in ... I doubt this is a very good strategy, nor in the interest of animal welfare! Besides it does not conform with any international (IUCN/WWF) guidelines on translocations, release or re-introduction, I am afraid. It seems my illusions were right here ..
