Winter 2025: ICAS animal update
Posted 12 Jan 2026
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Our charity has worked with Dr Arnaud Desbiez and his team at the Wildlife Conservation Institute (ICAS) in Brazil for over a decade to safeguard threatened giant anteaters, giant armadillos and their rapidly disappearing habitat. This team has made incredible strides in making habitats and roads safer for giant anteaters, and discovered nearly everything that is currently known about giant armadillos.
Here, Arnaud updates us on the discovery of new giant armadillo populations, the dispersal of female giant anteaters and the impact that mining has on local wildlife.
It's hard to believe that 2025 has ended. An annual impact report will be coming later this year, but in the meantime, I wanted to share some recent highlights and developments with you.
Atlantic Forest: New giant armadillos found!
There was only one known population of giant armadillos in the Atlantic Forest, located in Rio Doce State Park, Minas Gerais. We estimate three individuals may be surviving in Sooretama Park, Espirito Santo, but I am now thrilled to report that our recent findings suggest more individuals have been located!
Situated in the Serra do Espinhaço mountain range in Minas Gerais, at the transition zone between the Cerrado and the Atlantic Forest, the Rio Preto State Park boasts exceptional biodiversity. It’s also recognised for its prehistoric archaeological significance. Rock paintings of zoomorphic figures have been found in the area, including one believed to represent a giant armadillo. Current studies suggest these were made by hunter-gatherers at least 1,600 years ago.
Our team is thrilled to confirm that several giant armadillo individuals have been registered and documented by our camera traps in Rio Preto State Park – including a mother giant armadillo with her baby.
We have conducted three expeditions to the park and confirmed the ongoing presence of giant armadillos.
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The impact of mining on giant armadillos
Recently, we learned that a giant armadillo was captured on camera traps in 2023 and 2025 during fauna monitoring conducted by a mining company. Mining companies must conduct these studies before commencing their operations. However, that data is not open-access, and we only obtained proof of these images through some contacts and some manoeuvring.
I am sorry to report that the area where the animal was documented in 2023 has already been altered and mined. However, the area where a giant armadillo was registered in 2025 - which could be the same animal - will only be mined in 2029. We have successfully contacted the mining company, and they have accepted our team's proposal to visit the area in mid-January.
Wish us luck - this feels urgent. Remember, every individual giant armadillo is precious, especially in the Atlantic Forest.
Fieldwork continues with giant armadillos and giant anteaters
Monitoring of the animals continues as usual in the Pantanal or Cerrado, camera traps are being checked regularly, and engagement with local communities remains ongoing. The most positive update is that the rainy season is now well underway, which means there is only a minimal risk of fires.
Regarding giant anteaters, we are currently documenting that the dispersal of juveniles is seasonal, as nearly all dispersals have begun once the rainy season is well established. For the past five years, we have only recorded females dispersing, and that appears to be the case again this year.
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Unfortunately, we lost Nicola the giant anteater. We received an email alert stating that she had stopped moving for more than 15 hours. Given the condition in which we found her, we suspect her death was due to natural predation.
In brighter news, we are happy to share an image of Maria and her new pup! We have been monitoring Maria since 2018.
As for rehabilitated giant anteaters, Luar is doing well. Abner and Gerald have just received their collars and are expected to be released in the next few months. Our colleagues at Rainforest Awareness Rescue Education Center in Peru have been reporting on Sony's movements, and she appears to be doing well. However, it is so hard for them to get a visual on her. They are doing an amazing job and have just received another confiscated anteater who will be well looked after by our team.
