Formosan pangolin loaned by Taiwan gives birth: Prague mayor

Taipei, Feb. 3 (CNA) The female half of a duo of Formosan pangolins borrowed by the Prague Zoo from the Taipei Zoo last year for a breeding project has given birth, Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib said Thursday.

Releasing a photo of the youngster on his Facebook page, Hřib asked people to keep their fingers crossed for the offspring of "Run Hou Tang (潤喉糖)," as it was the first pangolin bred in Europe.

"I am very pleased that diplomatic achievements bring such cute fruits to Prague. We can have rare pods in Prague only thanks to our close partnership with Taipei," he said.

Run Hou Tang, which arrived in the Czech Republic last April, started to live with her partner "Guo Bao (果寶)" in June after being released from quarantine and was found to be pregnant around October, according to the zoo.

The Prague Zoo is the second zoo in Europe to host pangolins from Taiwan, after Zoo Leipzig in Germany.

Taipei Zoo spokesman Eric Tsao (曹先紹), who said that the loan of the two pangolins to the Prague Zoo was aimed at creating a breeding network in Europe, told CNA that the zoo was pleased to learn about the delivery.

While Run Hou Tang is a second-time mother, Tsao said the zoo gave advice to its carers in Prague to help it breed better, including different materials and tools that could be of use.

Prague forged sisterhood ties with Taipei in January 2020 after ditching sisterhood ties with Beijing in October 2019 over a "one China" provision, opening the way for the pangolin breeding program.