Prague Zoo gets Taiwanese pangolins after fallout with China

Prague’s zoo has introduced to the public a pair of critically endangered Chinese pangolins

PRAGUE -- Prague’s zoo has introduced a pair of critically endangered Chinese pangolins to the public. It is only the the second animal park on the European continent to have the animals.

The arrival of the rare acquisition from Taiwan follows a political fallout with China that prevented the expected arrival of a pair of giant pandas.

Guo Bao, the male pangolin, and Run Hou Tang, the female, came from the Taipei zoo, the leading breeder of the mammals that are hunted heavily for their scales and meat.

It’s estimated almost 200,000 were trafficked in 2019 because of the scales that are used in traditional medicine in Asia and elsewhere.