Member Anniversaries: Giant Anteaters Project (Brazil)

As we head into June, we recognize member Projeto Bandeiras e Rodovias – the Anteaters and Highways Project (Brazil) and celebrate one year with this important member.

The field team working on this important in situ project record data on 131 animals of 6 species using ZIMS.

From the program: “The grasslands and forests of Brazil’s Cerrado biome support some of the largest remaining populations of Giant anteaters. But today the Cerrado is undergoing rapid agricultural development and is fragmented by an ever-increasing network of roads. Shockingly, Giant anteaters are among the animals most frequently killed on these roads, and road mortalities now pose a serious threat to species’ long-term survival.

ADDRESSING THE THREAT

To address the threat, data on why, when, and how anteaters interact with roadways is urgently needed. Whitley-Award winning scientist Dr. Arnaud Desbiez and his team of field researchers have therefore initiated a  four-year effort — the Anteaters and Highways project — to assess the impact of roads on Giant anteater populations in the Brazilian Cerrado.  Research results will provide insight into anteater movement patterns, inform road management strategies in Brazil, and help save an iconic New World species.”

Please follow the important work happening at http://www.giantanteater.org/