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“Monitoring about 600 miles
of paved road every two weeks
over a one-year period, the team
documented 136 giant anteaters
”killed by vehicles.
these piercing tools. And they’re great defense as
well. Even hungry jaguars have paid with their DR. ARNAUD DESBIEZ AND HIS TEAM
lives by underestimating the deadly force an
anteater can unleash with these hooks. in four countries on the isthmus. But even in areas where habitat exists, a road across an
anteater’s range can be lethal.
Once the mound is breached, anteaters claw
inside allowing their long snout to shoot out a To analyze this impact, award-winning researcher Dr. Arnaud Desbiez and his team
saliva-covered tongue over two and half times conducted a roadkill study in the Cerrado. The results were stark. Monitoring about 600
a second to rapidly catch up insects. But they miles of paved road every two weeks over a one-year period, the team documented 136 giant
only have about a minute before soldier insects anteaters killed by vehicles. By some counts, that’s potentially more dead anteaters per road
mount a full defense and repel the attack. In mile than we hit deer in America.
an odd bit of symbiosis, this not only saves
the mound from destruction, but also insures With other South American species like the tapir, research has lead to decreased roadkills.
anteaters have a place for a future meal. It also In hopes of replicating these successes Naples Zoo has been directly funding Desbiez’s work
means a lot of walking since anteaters need to over recent years including using GPS harnesses to better understand their movements to
consume over 30,000 ants and termites each discern patterns that may help in saving them.
day – a feat that has been estimated to require
visiting dozens of mounds an hour during their In fact, grants from various zoos like ours have made up 80 percent of funding for
active feeding times. Desbiez’s efforts. But this help goes beyond finances. As he says, “Whether it is to review
an anesthetic protocol, discuss a particular behavior, review a paper we wrote, give advice on
And that walking is part of their problem. equipment or even help develop a fundraising strategy, advice from zoo professionals is very
In rapidly developing areas like Brazil’s Cerrado much appreciated and most often fundamental. It is amazing how generous people working
savanna, the longer you walk, the more roads in zoos are with their time and expertise.”
you must cross. Predictably, dull hearing and
poor eyesight is a deadly combination against Desbiez’s efforts are just one of many programs supported by a consortium known as the
fast moving vehicles. Loss of good places for Zoo Conservation Outreach Group (ZCOG). Naples Zoo is one of its key supporters and I
anteaters to live is a grave concern. It is now recently became Vice-Chair of this non-governmental organization dedicated to conservation
considered the most threatened mammal in in Central and South America. Beyond fieldwork, ZCOG provides international scholarships
Central America and is likely already extinct for wildlife professionals in the New World to attend training through the Association of
Zoos and Aquariums. Under the category of teaching a person to fish, Naples Zoo now wholly
DR. ARNAUD DESBIEZ funds the Caribbean Conservation Training Scholarship to build capacity in colleagues from
the Caribbean Basin.
These efforts and many others have earned your zoo recognition as one of the top
supporters of field conservation as determined by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Best of all, you are part of these efforts whenever you purchase a daily ticket or membership
to our private, nonprofit organization. And that means a better future for giant anteaters and
many more of our world’s miraculous animals.
Far from the simple menageries of past, today’s nationally accredited zoos are centers of learning
and natural crossroads for biologists, educators, environmental scientists, and researchers - as well
as for students, conservationists, and all animal lovers. Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens is a
trusted, private 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving wildlife and families here and around the world. More
information at www.napleszoo.org.
Life in Naples | February 2016 29
