Within Brookfield Zoo Chicago’s Habitat Africa: The Forest, there is a creature that looks like a living pinecone, covered in keratin scales and equipped with powerful claws for digging into ant and termite nests. This is the pangolin, also known as the scaly anteater, and it is one of the world’s most endangered mammals, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Our zoo is the only place in the U.S. where people can see a living pangolin, and right now, the U.S. is deciding if this species deserves protection under the Endangered Species Act.
Despite their ancient lineage and ecological importance, eight species of pangolins have long existed in the shadows. They are nocturnal and elusive, found across parts of Asia and Africa. Most people have never heard of them, and very few have ever seen one. When I talk about them, people often think they misunderstood me and that I’m talking about penguins (which, admittedly, I do a lot, but that’s another story). Pangolins don’t have the household recognition of elephants or pandas, but they deserve protection all the same.
A decade ago, Brookfield Zoo began leading U.S. efforts toward the protection and understanding of this scientifically understudied species that increasingly needs protection. We co-founded the North American Pangolin Consortium along with four other leading zoological organizations, with the goal of advancing veterinary science and research to better understand the pangolin’s life history, reproductive strategies and care needs. We knew that if we waited until wild populations collapsed further before trying to understand what this species needs to survive, it would be too late. In the past eight years since our program started, we have published six scientific papers on pangolins, delivered four presentations at international conferences, and hosted an international symposium on pangolins. Our population has seen the birth of 13 pangolins and we are now on our second generation of offspring.
Most of the science and conservation program work for pangolins happens behind the scenes at Brookfield Zoo, such that we can maximize animal space and care. All too often this means that some of the most impactful conservation work that zoos undertake happens outside of the public view. However, we are proud to provide our guests with an opportunity to see a pangolin in real life. It is through close connections that people begin to care, and when we care, we act. We all now have an opportunity to act by telling our government that pangolins deserve protection.
Pangolin conservation is more urgent than ever. Over 100,000 pangolins are poached from the wild every year. They face similar threats as rhinos, whose horns are sought for purported medicinal benefits based on ancient beliefs. For pangolins, it’s their scales. Despite having no real medical benefit to anyone, they are hunted and killed at extraordinary rates and illegally trafficked by the millions to meet an insatiable demand for their meat and scales. Make no mistake — some of that demand is coming from within the United States. Public records show that between 2016 to 2020, U.S. wildlife officers at borders seized 76 shipments of pangolin parts.
Pangolins are now the most trafficked mammal in the world. All eight species of pangolins are at risk of extinction, and four are critically endangered.
Recently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing seven pangolin species, including the white-bellied pangolin which is the species living at Brookfield Zoo, under the Endangered Species Act. This proposal opened a 60-day public comment period to allow the public to weigh in. We strongly support increased protections for pangolins and urge the public to submit comments. Public support during this period is vital — it can move the needle toward international protections, stricter trade bans, and stronger enforcement against traffickers. And it helps elevate pangolins from obscurity to national awareness.
The success of the proposed Endangered Species Act listing may depend on whether the public gets involved. Without visible support, the urgency of this issue may be lost amid a crowded news cycle and competing priorities.
All too often when we talk about extinction, it feels like something happening far away, something too big to change. But the truth is, real change starts in moments like this, with individual voices stepping up to say: “We care.”
People often ask me what they can do to help save species. While this listing alone will not save pangolins, it is a step in a positive direction and a moment where all of us can do something.
Your voice matters. Will you speak up for the pangolins? If we lose the pangolin, we lose more than an animal. We lose a piece of what makes our world extraordinary.
Dr. Michael Adkesson is president and CEO of Brookfield Zoo Chicago, and a veterinarian with more than 20 years of experience in wildlife medicine and international species conservation.
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