ZSL London Zoo Giant armadillos at London Zoo

nope, never heard anything about them, ive read the story of london zoo and havent seen them mentoined in there either

 

I think they have lived just a short time at the London Zoo, a few zoos in europe has kept them just a short time and the animals died often a few month later after the arrival.

I've found in a book, which was published in 1966, the information, that London zoos has kept two giant armadillos, but that's all.

I can search the guidebooks for them, but the guidebooks from the sixties are not very detailed.

I try to find out more about the giant armadillos. Are you just interested in the London Zoo's giant armadillos ?

 

I've found a few informations to the giant armadillos at the Duisburg Zoo in germany.
The zoos imported the first one in 1973 from argentina, a second in 1974 and a third one in 1975. In this year, one of the three animals died, the two others died the next year, both in the same night, after they were placed into the exhibit in the giraffehouse.Until that, the giant armadillos were kept behind the scenes.

I think, this three giant armadillos were the only ones in germany after the second world war.

I've found these informations in the Annual reports of the Zoo.

I posted a photo of the Duisburg animals in the same gallery as you have posted the armadillo picture.

 

David Attenborough went to Paraguay in the late 1950s on one of his "Zoo Quest" expeditions specifically to look for armadillos, particularly the Giant, for London Zoo. He came back without one, but at the back of the book "Zoo Quest to Paraguay" is a picture of one that an animal collector had brought to the zoo after Attenborough had returned. It was going to another collection, if I remember correctly.

 

If I remember London had a giant Armadillo around 1976. It was quarantined in London and then sent to Rotterdam.

 

Just checked my"Zoo Quest" volume. The Giant Armadillo in question was sent from Guyana to an animal dealer in Birmingham, from whom the London Zoo acquired it. According to Attenborough, it was the first one to arrive in this country alive. This was in 1958.

 

I realise that this thread is nearly three years old, but I have only just encountered it.

London Zoo acquired a giant armadillo in 1976 when the President of Brazil presented it to Queen Elizabeth; this animal was sent to Rotterdam Zoo in 1978.

 

The 1962 London Zoo guide mentions that the zoo had a Giant Armadillo in, I think, the South Mammal House that was later demolished to build the Sobell Pavilions for apes & monkeys.

 

Presumably this was the animal obtained in 1959; the ZSL Annual Report for that year records that a giant armadillo was acquired and lists it as “new to the collection”.

 

I remember the 1976 specimen. It was kept in the Stork & Ostrich house and it was always asleep when I visited. Somewhere I have one or two really bad photos.

Alan

 

I remember it also , the small pen at the rear section of the House ( facing the Park ) was heavily reinforced with metal plates . I am not certain if it was given access to an outside run - I doubt it somehow . I think some Giant anteaters received from the same source were also in the Stork and Ostrich House then .

 

Yes, it was almost always asleep whenever I saw it too.

I don’t recall seeing the earlier specimen in the South Mammal House, although I must have done as a child; I guess that was probably always asleep too.

Yes, in addition to ratites and storks, the Stork & Ostrich House has been used for quite a range of species over years: giant armadillo, giant anteater, pudu, musk deer.....

 

I have checked the 1962 guide. It was in the Small Mammal House (which was opposite the Stork & Ostrich House) - quote- "The most unusual occupant of this house at the present time is a Giant Armadillo, the first one ever to be seen alive in this country."
Nothing is mentioned in the 1963 guide, so I imagine it didn't live long.

 

I'd love to see those photos Alan. I would imagine a really bad photo for you is still a good photo to the rest of us!

 

I will second that.