Vienna Zoo Becomes Third One in Europe with Pangolins

Baustelle Regenwaldhaus im Tiergarten Schönbrunn. © Foto: Daniel Zupanc (eap) Vienna Zoo will be the third zoo in Europe to exhibit Chinese pangolins in the future. Until now, this species, which is considered to be acutely threatened by extinction, could only be seen in Europe at Zoo Leipzig and Zoo Prague. The “pine cones on four legs” will move into the Rainforest House, which is currently being redesigned and will reopen in early 2026 with a completely new concept and new animal species.

“Pangolins are a particularly exciting family of animals. They are the only mammals whose skin is covered with scales. Unfortunately, this protective armor is also their downfall. As the scales are used in traditional medicine, the animals are killed en masse and their scales are smuggled”, explains zoo director Dr. Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck. As pangolins are mainly active at night, at Vienna Zoo they will be shown in an enclosure that will be modeled on the rainforest at night thanks to a special lighting system. This will allow visitors to observe the animals better.

In order to prepare for the arrival of the new species not only structurally but also professionally, Vienna Zoo has signed a cooperation agreement with Taipei Zoo and has already had one of its zookeepers trained on site in China.

The future pangolin enclosure in the Rainforest House is intended to draw visitors’ attention to the acute endangerment of pangolins, which inhabit large parts of East and South Asia as well as the countries of sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, the zoo is creating another USP as one of the few European zoos to present the Chinese pangolin. Another rare animal species that is at home in Vienna Zoo is the giant panda.

Find out how zoos can strategically place such USPs and efforts in species conservation effectively in public relations in our feature article “Zoo Marketing: Between animal welfare, sustainability & entertainment”, published in EAP issue 6/2024. ■