"Pine Cone on Four Legs" for Vienna Zoo Schönbrunn

The Schönbrunn Zoo will be the third zoological garden in Europe where Chinese pangolins will live in the future. The "pine cones on four legs" are to move into the rainforest house, which is currently being redesigned and will reopen in early 2026 with a new concept and animal species. The zoo announced this on Thursday. Pangolins are the only mammals whose skin is covered with scales.

Schönbrunn Zoo: "Animals are being killed en masse"

"Unfortunately, this protective armor also becomes their downfall. Since the scales are used in traditional medicine, the animals are killed en masse and their scales smuggled," explained zoo director Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck.

Pangolin holdings visited abroad

Pangolins are predominantly nocturnal. Visitors could still experience them thanks to a special lighting control system modeled after the rainforest. There will also be insights into the sleeping dens. Recently, a cooperation agreement was signed with the Taipei Zoo, and the pangolin holdings in the Prague and Leipzig zoos were visited. A zookeeper has already been trained at the Taipei Zoo in China for the care of the Chinese pangolin.

The zoo emphasized the glaring threat to the animals on Thursday. It was pointed out in this context that since 2024, the protection project of the "Pangolin Conservation & Research Foundation (PCRF)" in northeastern Namibia has been financially supported.

(APA/Red)

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