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LOS ANGELES - An endangered ant-eating animal has died at the Los Angeles Zoo 10 months after wildlife inspectors confiscated it from a tourist returning from Africa.
The pangolin, which the tourist bought from hunters for $3, had been treated for serious liver disease for three weeks before its Oct. 2 death. Treating the animal was a challenge for zoo officials because pangolins are extremely rare in captivity.
"This was the only pangolin in any zoo in the United States," zoo spokesman Jason Jacobs said Thursday. "Because of this we're very proud of the work our animal care staff has done over the last 10 months."
Zoo veterinarians know the medical histories of most animals at the zoo, but the pangolin was an exception because it had been captured in the wild. It was estimated to be 1 to 3 months old and to weigh just 11 ounces in January, when it was placed in a zoo nursery filled with fluffy towels and a stuffed alligator toy.
A wildlife inspector nabbed the scaly animal in January from 29-year-old Paulina Moussiesse of Los Angeles' Sherman Oaks section, who had bought it as a pet. Moussiesse, who was returning with her family from the
Democratic Republic of Congo, said hunters in the village of Mayeye had grabbed the animal after chasing its mother up a tree.
She said they sold it to her because it was too young to eat. Pangolins are often sold on black markets as a delicacy in parts of Asia.
Pangolins are among animals protected by an international trade treaty and need a special permit to enter the United States.
The pangolin, which the tourist bought from hunters for $3, had been treated for serious liver disease for three weeks before its Oct. 2 death. Treating the animal was a challenge for zoo officials because pangolins are extremely rare in captivity.
"This was the only pangolin in any zoo in the United States," zoo spokesman Jason Jacobs said Thursday. "Because of this we're very proud of the work our animal care staff has done over the last 10 months."
Zoo veterinarians know the medical histories of most animals at the zoo, but the pangolin was an exception because it had been captured in the wild. It was estimated to be 1 to 3 months old and to weigh just 11 ounces in January, when it was placed in a zoo nursery filled with fluffy towels and a stuffed alligator toy.
A wildlife inspector nabbed the scaly animal in January from 29-year-old Paulina Moussiesse of Los Angeles' Sherman Oaks section, who had bought it as a pet. Moussiesse, who was returning with her family from the
Democratic Republic of Congo, said hunters in the village of Mayeye had grabbed the animal after chasing its mother up a tree.
She said they sold it to her because it was too young to eat. Pangolins are often sold on black markets as a delicacy in parts of Asia.
Pangolins are among animals protected by an international trade treaty and need a special permit to enter the United States.