PRAGUE (AP) — A second Chinese language pangolin was born in the Prague zoo in lower than two years and is doing effectively, defying the percentages and stunning park officers.

The feminine of the critically endangered mammal was born July 1, the second Chinese language pangolin born in captivity in Europe following her sister, Cone, in February final yr.

She weighed simply 141 grams (4.97 ounces) however was placing on about 10 grams (0.3 ounces) each day and will attain 250 grams (8.8 ounces) this week, the zoo stated. Adults can attain as much as 6.8 kilograms (15 kilos).

When the park in 2022 acquired Guo Bao, a male, and Run Hou Tang, a feminine, from the Taipei zoo, the main breeder of the mammals, the key aim was simply to maintain them alive and in good well being, zoo director Miroslav Bobek stated Wednesday.

“We definitely hoped that we’ll have a child born at some point sooner or later however completely no one anticipated that we’ll have two in a yr and a half,” Bobek stated.

The Chinese language pangolin is native to southern China and Southeast Asia. It’s one of many 4 pangolin species in Asia, with the others present in Africa. They’re hunted closely for his or her scales and meat.

The pangolins are tough to breed in captivity as a result of they require a particular feed that features drone larvae and want a specific humidity and temperature of their enclosure.

Prague turned solely the second European zoo to maintain the species.

The pangolins arrived got here after Prague determined to revoke a sister-city settlement with Beijing and signed an identical deal in 2020 with the Taiwanese capital, Taipei. The deal prompted tensions with China, which claims Taiwan as a part of its territory. The settlement included cooperation between the Taipei and Prague zoos.