First baby armadillos born at Fife Zoo – in time for International Armadillo Day

New parents, Havana and Dougie, arrived at the Ladybank zoo in 2020 as part of a European-wide initiative to safeguard the species from extinction. Following their first health check with the vet, it has been confirmed that the twins are a boy and a girl.

Six banded Armadillos are found throughout South America but are facing extinction in the wild due to being persecuted for the damage caused to crop fields due to the animal’s incessant burrowing habits.

Armadillos usually give birth in burrows, but the zoo’s armadillos decided to bury a portable cat crate in their enclosure’s substrate to replicate the environment they would usually give birth in.

Mike Knight, Fife Zoo director, said, ‘’The arrival of the baby armadillos was a huge surprise for everybody at the zoo and we’re delighted to be able to play a role in the European captive breeding programme for the species. We’ve been aware of the baby armadillos for a number of weeks now, but they are born completely blind and have a high fatality rate in their early weeks if they are disturbed.’’

‘’The twins are now the size of a tennis ball and have recently become confident enough to leave their burrow and can sometimes be seen exploring their new surroundings throughout the day. Their appearances are still unpredictable, so we have set up a webcam so that visitors have the best possible chance to see the new arrivals. Their mum, Havana, is still very much in charge and will occasionally carry the babies around the enclosure in her mouth.’’

Fife Zoo also celebrated the arrival of a rare swamp monkey this week.