Pangolin orphan prepared for second chance in the wild at Vietnam rescue center

By Ha Trung   April 10, 2017 | 07:20 pm PT
She was just one week old when her mother died while they were being trafficked last December.
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The pangolin baby, named Kim, was rescued in Hanoi in December last year and has been staying with Save Vietnam’s Wildlife, a conservation group that operates a carnivore and pangolin reserve at Cuc Phuong National Park in Ninh Binh Province, 90 kilometers (50 miles) south of the capital.

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She has three meals a day of milk and ants that the vets find in the jungle. Lam Kim Hai, her main carer, said feeding time used to take 20 minutes, but now it takes an hour because she needs to eat more and is very playful.

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She is fed, bathed and cuddled by vets at the center, who also check her temperature regularly. The pangolin is the youngest ever to be taken in by the center and vets said that given their lack of experience, they felt stressed during the first few days.

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The four-month-old animal now has her own cage and the vets no longer need to keep an eye on her all the time.

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The center plans to put Kim under a special rehabilitation program so that she can go back to the wild. It will evaluate her ability to survive before deciding whether to release her.

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“It feels kind of sad thinking about saying goodbye to her,” Hai said.

Photos and video courtesy of Save Vietnam's Wildlife

 
 
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