![]() Keith Winsten is the executive director of the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne. In any case, we are always happy to work with the media to separate fact from fiction when it comes to wildlife, because peaceful coexistence is so critical to our quality of life in Brevard County. And in terms of armadillos in the wild, they should always be treated with respect, but are no more danger than any other mammal that can harbor diseases that affect humans - that includes cats, dogs and just about anything else. Our armadillo family has been with us since 2009 and is in good health. Hansen’s is a slow-moving disease in people but kills armadillos rather quickly. So you might ask, why do we let people get close to armadillos at the zoo? Because we know our animals don’t carry the bacteria. In fact, scientists believe we gave it to armadillos 400 to 500 years ago. However, most people get the disease from other humans. That’s why with a recent spike in Florida cases - we’ve had nine in the state this year - there is an assumption that armadillos might be the vector. including Texas (map), Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, and Florida. ![]() As of 2011, none of the Florida armadillos had tested positive for Hansen’s disease, but recently, some of the northern Florida armadillos have been found to carry the disease and we should work under the assumption that our local wild armadillos might have it as well. Armadillos in general are nocturnal animals, and they tend to be most active around. We believe the Florida population started with an inadvertent release of captive armadillos right here in Cocoa. People who capture those Western armadillos for a living - butchering them and having lots of contact with blood and body fluids - are at risk. That population of armadillos originally came up from Central America. ![]() ![]() As stated above, Florida armadillo has a particular diet that aid its. Since that time, they have documented the connection between armadillos and human Hansen’s disease cases in Louisiana and Texas. Talking about natural diet, we mean those foods Tallahassee armadillos cannot live. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |