GPS transmitters to study giant armadillos

Arnaud Desbiez

Instituto de Conservação de Animais Silvestres

Dear difteur-ses,

Thanks to your support, ICAS has stepped up its awareness-raising activities around the giant armadillo and giant anteater, in partnership with local communities and authorities.

The "Our Giants" exhibition, held over ten days in Campo Grande's largest shopping mall, enabled hundreds of visitors to learn more about these fascinating species. The ICAS team and some twenty trained students presented the exhibition and answered questions from the public, with extensive media coverage.

Parallel to this, a one-day seminar at the Pantanal Bioparque brought together over a hundred environmental education players to exchange views on educational practices and conservation.

How do you introduce people to Brazil's giants?

Beauval Nature

Dear difteur-ses,

Despite measuring over a meter in length, the giant armadillo is classified as "vulnerable" by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), due to habitat loss, hunting and road collisions. The giant armadillo population is said to have declined by 30% over the past 25 years.

To reverse this trend, the Instituto de Conservação de Animais Silvestres is running the Projeto Tatu-Canastra, which aims to study the biology and ecology of the giant armadillo and encourage its cohabitation with beekeepers, whose hives it attacks. Beauval Nature has been supporting this program since 2012.

Discover their 2024 actions in figures:
▪️ 10 expeditions to the Pantanal.
▪️ 8 GPS transmitters placed on giant armadillos and 4 new individuals tracked.
▪️ 65 camera traps in the Pantanal, 56 in the Atlantic Forest, 105 in the Cerrado.
▪️ 1 training for the community fire department. To date, 22 ranches are involved and a total of 160,000 hectares are protected from fire.
▪️ 100 beekeepers use proven methods to prevent giant armadillo attacks on hives.
▪️ 200 schools collaborate with ICAS.

In 2024 and thanks to your support, Beauval Nature funds financed the purchase of 12 photographic traps and 4 GPS transmitters. They also helped finance the actions of the educational team, fuel for expeditions and veterinary expenses.

GPS transmitters to study giant armadillos

The organization Instituto de Conservação de Animais Silvestres

Use of the money