Edinburgh Zoo celebrates birth of baby armadillo

Baby Inti unveiled at Edinburgh Zoo. Picture: Contributed

The female Southern three-banded armadillo - named Inti by keepers after an Inca sun god - was born in the middle of April.

She was the size of golf ball and weighed just 100g when she was two days old. Now three weeks old, Inti is the size of a baseball and growing fast.

Sarah Wright, Animal Presentations Team Leader at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo, said: “Our new arrival is doing well and we are all celebrating her birth, as she is only the second armadillo to be born at the Zoo.

“Inti was about the size of a golf ball when she was born, but is growing quickly and is a little bundle of energy.

“She will grow up to play a very important role in raising awareness about the plight of armadillos in the wild and the threats they face, as well as the vital conservation work undertaken by RZSS to help conserve the giant armadillo from extinction.”

Inti will take part in the zoo’s daily educational show, Animal Antics, when she is old enough where she and her family will help raise awareness of the species’ plight.

Southern three-banded armadillos - native to parts of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay - are listed as near threatened on the IUCN Red List.

Edinburgh Zoo's latest arrival, baby Inti. Picture: Contributed

They are increasingly threatened as a result of being hunted for food, the pet trade and loss of habitat.

Inti is the second armadillo cub to be born at the city’s zoo after another female called Rica in 2014.

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