Visitors have been flocking to see a pair of giant anteaters at Dundee’s Camperdown Wildlife Centre after their recent arrival.
Zookeepers say the two mammals — a female named Nala and a male called Lucifer — are settling in well after the move from Edinburgh Zoo.
The Courier was invited along for an introduction and to learn more about the animals, which are native to Central and South America.
Giant anteaters proving popular at Camperdown
Nala is already arguably the most famous resident at Camperdown having appeared on TV while living in Edinburgh.
The 17-year-old is believed to be the first giant anteater in the world to be diagnosed with diabetes and a fitted glucose monitor allows keepers to maintain a watchful eye over her health.
Hannah Colgan, a zookeeper at the centre, is one of those responsible for looking after the pair.
Hannah says they have come to enjoy a slightly quieter life of semi-retirement in the City of Discovery.
But she says Nala needs specific attention to ensure she stays healthy.
“Nala has a specialised diet and she is fed four times a day,” she said.
“We weigh everything as it goes in and comes out so we know how much she is eating every day — just so we’re really on top of that recording.
“We test her urine every day for ketones and glucose levels and we also have the Dexcom G6 monitor which monitors her glucose levels.
“That will notify us if it goes too high or too low. If that does happen we will come in after hours and help her out.”
Rather than ants specifically, they are fed a special insectivore diet consisting of insect meal, poultry protein, and fish oil.
On the day The Courier visited, Nala was having a lie-in and even the mouth-watering smell of grubs could not awaken her from her slumber.
Though also sleepy, Lucifer was quicker to recognise the opportunity and within a few minutes was up utilising his long snout and tongue in trademark anteater fashion.
Hannah says centre staff have quickly noticed each has a distinctive personality.
She said: “They have both settled in really well.
“Lucifer likes to go out exploring in his enclosure, dig, and wreck logs.
“He responds really well to a lot of the enrichment we give him and he can be fairly tidy as well.
“Nala is a lot messier; she likes to fling her food dish about and spill stuff everywhere.
“But she is a very nice natured anteater. She’s really patient and stands while we change the Dexcom sensors or while we’re giving her insulin every morning.”
Unfortunately, those looking to grab a toy giant anteater from the Wildlife Centre’s gift shop are out of luck.
The pair have proved so popular that they have already sold out, however, more are expected to arrive soon.
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