Armadillos are moving into Illinois
In this May 21, 2014, file photo, an armadillo named Ana Botafogo in honor of a Brazilian dancer stands in the Rio Zoo in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. FIFA says it could not reach a financial agreement with a wildlife conservation group trying to save an endangered armadillo chosen as the World Cup mascot. The armadillo was chosen as the World Cup mascot, which was named "Fuleco" — a combination of the Portuguese words for football and ecology. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo,File)
Armadillos have historically been a species of the south, but they’ve recently been migrating north. Their presence was first documented in Illinois in the 1990s, but reported sightings have – until recently – been sporadic. That changed in February of this year when the Illinois Department of Natural Resources put out a public request for armadillo sightings. In 24 hours, they received more than 400 reports of armadillos throughout the state.
The 21st was joined by a conservation biologist and assistant professor at Bradley University and a member of the Prairie Rivers Network, a Champaign-based non-profit focused on renewing ecological health.
Guests:
Anant Deshwal
Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Bradley University
Robert Hirschfeld
Water Policy Specialist and Communications, Prairie Rivers Network
Prepared for web by Zainab Qureshi
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