ST. LOUIS - The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund will increase its support of Vietnam's only dedicated pangolin rescue and rehabilitation center with a $7,000 grant, the not-for-profit organization announced today. The grant will allow the Asian Pangolin Conservation Program (APCP) in Vietnam's Cuc Phuong National Park to quickly complete additional quarantine enclosures, provide funding for two staff positions and finance staff attendance at a training workshop.

Asian pangolins, also called scaly anteaters, are highly endangered, scaly skinned mammals often mistaken for reptiles. Pangolins have a specialized diet and are thought to feed on ants and termites almost exclusively. Trade in pangolins is banned internationally but illegal hunting continues in Asia; their meat is considered a delicacy and the hide and scales are used in traditional medicines.

Asian wildlife authorities routinely intercept illegal shipments of pangolins but the lack of facilities and a lack of information available on pangolins makes it difficult for rescue and rehabilitation centers to care for the animals adequately.

"Having visited the rescue center in Vietnam, I was moved by the obvious dedication and amazing efforts of all the staff to protect and preserve this unique species," said SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund board member Julie Scardina. "They are the 'go to' organization in much of Southeast Asia for information and assistance when pangolins are confiscated."

The APCP is working on both short- and long-term solutions to the issues surrounding pangolin conservation. The construction of the quarantine facility addresses an immediate need; 22 pangolins were recently confiscated and 11 need rehabilitation or long-term care. Additionally, APCP staff currently gathers wild ants as a diet for the pangolins at the center; the grant is providing funding for both additional staff to gather ants and for staff to attend an ant farming workshop to assist in the development of a sustainable diet.

The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund currently supports three pangolin projects - World Wildlife Fund's TRAFFIC is working to stem illegal capture and trade though education and increased enforcement; Conservation International's pangolin biology assessment and APCP's investigation into the foraging habits of wild pangolins to develop a diet for non-releasable pangolins. In addition to the nearly $50,000 in grants, animal care, veterinary and nutrition staff from SeaWorld and Busch Gardens parks are lending a hand in small but meaningful ways - processing pathology samples, collaborating on nutrition guidelines and discussing ways to improve enrichment and housing for these unique and imperiled animals.

"Funding from the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund to several different pangolin projects all in the same year has helped to elevate their plight; multiple organizations are now working from different sides to save an amazing animal," added Scardina.

The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund is a registered non-profit foundation. Its mission is to work with purpose and passion on behalf of wildlife and habitats worldwide, encouraging sustainable solutions through support of species research, animal rescue and rehabilitation and conservation education.

Busch Entertainment Corp., the family entertainment subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc., operates nine U.S. theme parks: SeaWorld parks in Orlando, Fla., San Diego, Calif. and San Antonio, Texas; Busch Gardens parks in Tampa, Fla. and Williamsburg, Va.; Discovery Cove in Orlando; Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pa.; Adventure Island in Tampa and Water Country USA in Williamsburg. Aquatica, SeaWorld's water park, is under construction in Orlando and is scheduled to open next spring.