The escaped arboreal anteater from Eibergen dug a hole in someone’s garden on Tuesday. The animal, which escaped from a zoo on the night of Sunday to Monday, has not yet been found.
The South American arboreal anteater escaped from the zoo of Hof van Eckberge adventure park in Eibergen. The animal was last seen on Monday morning, director Maarten Reimes said earlier.
“This morning we received a phone call from a man. The anteater was in his front garden. He had dug a hole. The animal probably smelled all the larvae and bumblebees in the garden,” he said to NU.nl on Wednesday. The house is located between the Hof van Eckberge grounds and the center of Eibergen.
Subsequently, the garden was checked to see if the escaped animal had left a scent trail. That turned out to be the case. This is important because the animal is being searched for with dogs, among other things. Drones have also been deployed.
The search for the anteater continues unabated, says Reimes. The natural habitat of the arboreal anteater is South America. The animal can survive for a few days in Dutch nature. Longer is not possible, because the arboreal anteater has a specific diet that is too scarce to be found in the Netherlands. The arboreal anteater eats termites, ants and honey.
The animal is harmless to humans, but the zoo advises against touching the arboreal anteater. Reimes previously called on people who see the animal to contact the zoo.