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Rescuing Animals from Wildlife Trafficking Continued

Left: Most species of pangolins in Africa and Asia are either
endangered or critically endangered. They are hunted
down and killed for their meat and scales—an ingredient
in some traditional medicines.

In 2016, eight white-bellied pangolins
from Togo, Africa, arrived at Brookfield
Zoo as a result of legal import. The Zoo
is one of only a few zoos in the world that
has successfully housed and bred the
sensitive animals. Little was known about
pangolins, including their basic physiology.
Brookfield Zoo scientists have been study-
ing the animals to uncover important
information, such as how to differentiate
males from females, the animals’ age
at sexual maturity, and the females’
gestation period.
“Prior to 2015, no one in the world
knew how long a white-bellied African
pangolin was pregnant,” said Aitken-
Palmer. Estimates were three to four
months. She and other CZS scientists
were a mystery to Brookfield Zoo’s veteri- B ui l d in g t h e S c ie n c e determined that females are pregnant
Building the Science
narians and animal care staff. A U.S. for eight to nine months. “One female
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Pr
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o
S
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Customs and Border Protection official to Protect Species pangolin gives birth to only one baby
from O’Hare International Airport The pangolin is the world’s most trafficked a year,” she said.
delivered them in boxes filled with mammal. Most species are listed as Aitken-Palmer is a member of the
various species of Asian salamanders “Endangered” or “Critically Endangered” IUCN Pangolin Specialist Group. Among
from Hong Kong. by the IUCN Red List of Threatened other things, this international group of
Amphibian specialists the Zoo contact- Species. Pangolins are sometimes described pangolin experts makes policy recommen-
ed identified them as Chinese giant sala- as scaly anteaters because they are covered dations to countries around the world.
manders, which are critically endangered in scales and live on a diet of insects. The Group advises governments that
in the wild and rare in North American Unfortunately, the scales don’t protect set limits on “allowable takes,” or the
zoos. “None of us had seen them that them from poachers. They are killed for maximum number of individuals in a
small before; they grow to be massive— their meat and for the traditional medicine wildlife population that can be legally
up to 100 pounds.” It took some time to market. Their body parts, particularly taken before the population cannot replace
figure out how to care for them, she said, their scales, are thought to have medicinal itself. Scientists consider a number of
but several of them eventually grew to value. However, they are made of keratin, factors in determining this number for
their adult size. “It was cool to watch the same dead substance in human a species, including the reproductive rate
them grow and get bigger!” fingernails that has no medicinal value. of the species.

34 GATEWAYS | WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING