According to Facebook, a young female giant armadillo seems to have gone on display, making this one of a small handful of collections displaying the species.
Wait!! There are actually giant armadillos in captivity? I would love to see some come over to the states if possible. Where else are they being held?
Sorry, I thought I was posting it in Brasilia Zoo. @TeaLovingDave, please could you move the thread into the right place?
They are held in a small number of institutions, all of which are in Latin America. There is a zoo in Colombia called Bioparque los Ocarros that I believe is well-known for having them.
What is the reason that giant armadillos aren't more widespread in captivity? I assume it's a husbandry issue, but I would like any detail that anybody can provide. Great news that there's now another holder!
Yes you are right. I think it has something to do with burrowing. I heard that they dig extremely deep and its hard to keep them in a captive situation.
Another reason is that they are quite rare in the wild, difficult to find and even more difficult to catch ( and they are a protected species in ( most of ? ) its native range ! ).
Apart from the one in Brasilia and the couple in Bioparque los Ocarros, there is another specimen in Bolivia's Santa Cruz Zoo, and possibly more in a Northern Argentinian zoo.
Here is Maria Bonita aka Mabu the female giant armadillo at Brasilia zoo. She was rescued at a local building site where she was found hiding in a burrow,only a few weeks old. Now Mabu is the treasure of Brasilia Zoo.
I think it is worth mentioning that there is a giant armadillo kept at Sorocaba zoo. She is a fairly young animal but already quite large and rotund. I've actually had the pleasure of picking her up and she is quite hefty and has some very formidable claws. In terms of her temperament she is very shy and spends a lot of the day in her burrow so it is unlikely that visitors will see her on a visit. However, if any of you should want to try to see her on a visit to Sorocaba then know that she is located in the first enclosure in the row that are opposite the giant otter and neotropical otter pools and alongside an enclosure holding meerkats and another with tapeti rabbits and porcupine. Occasionally she comes out during the day to nibble her food , drink or have a trot around but otherwise she is almost always nocturnal. She shares her enclosure with a Southern tamandua and a pair of agoutis , the agoutis are alright but the tamandua can be a bit of a bully at times , not that it makes much of a difference with her armoured shell though. Hopefully she will get her own enclosure at some point in the future but as I've mentioned in other comments the zoo has to make do with very limited space and funds.
Yes , this is the same individual I am referring to. I really need to brush up on my armadillo species lol
