ICYMI: Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital welcomes baby pangolin Tot
MIDRAND – Wright added that the hospital had decided to house all the pangolins off-site.
The Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital said a baby pangolin Tot was growing fine and healthy after she was separated from her mother.
The young Temminck’s pangolin, that was born on 14 September this year, was retrieved from illegal wildlife trade by the South African Police Service and the Department of Homeland Security.
Nicci Wright, the wildlife rehabilitation specialist at Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital said the pup had to be separated from her mother who was in a compromised health condition due to injuries she suffered in the hands of poachers. Tot has not shown signs of health complications.
“It is sad that due to the ongoing pangolin poaching crisis, this little pup and her mother could not enjoy a natural life together,” she said.
“We know that when old enough she will adapt easily to a wild and natural life. For now, we are enthralled with her and enjoy watching her grow and develop. Now feeding four times hourly, she has doubled in weight since birth and is getting stronger and stronger every day.
“Her personality is showing itself as this little wonder unfolds.”
Wright added that the hospital had decided to house all the pangolins off-site. “The lives of pangolins are threatened by poaching for their meat and scales, which are used in Chinese traditional medicine, and are the most trafficked mammals in the world.”
She concluded, “For the sake of their safety and our staff members, all pangolin patients are housed off-site at an undisclosed location.”
