
Taipei Zoo urgently searching for escaped 11-yo southern tamandua
An 11-year-old anteater named Blackie has gone missing from Taipei Zoo, which is calling on the public to help locating the animal. On Monday evening, the female tamandua escaped by climbing up a banana shrub and disappearing into the darkness. It’s been three days, but she’s still nowhere to be found, which has sparked a frantic search in the area. Zoo officials are urging the public to keep an eye out for the runaway anteater and hope that she finds her way home safely soon.
A southern tamandua, also known as the lesser anteater, looks up the tree trunk before climbing up. Her name is Blackie, and visitors love her. She’s been missing from the Taipei Zoo for a couple of days now.
Tsao Hsien-shao
Taipei Zoo spokesperson
Blackie had climbed up the hardy banana shrub. When the banana leaf tilted from her weight, she had the opportunity to latch onto the imitation boulder structure, and from there on escaped.
Surveillance footage from 6:55 p.m. on May 18 shows Blackie lurking in the bromeliad plant area, right by the visitors’ walkway, only to disappear in a flash. The zoo reckoned that she’d made her way out by climbing up a banana shrub.
Wu Li-hsin
Taipei Zoo researcher
Considering her age and the fact that she’s not been out for a long time yet, we’re narrowing our search zone by a little bit. It’s been three days now, which works out to about 6km to 9km away from the zoo.
The southern tamandua is a solitary, tree-dwelling mammal native to South America. It has a sticky tongue several dozens of centimeters long, sharp claws on the front limbs and a hairless prehensile tail. Its diet is composed of ants, termites and other insects.
Tsao Hsien-shao
Taipei Zoo spokesperson
A little more than five years ago, Little Red had also escaped when the weather was good, like now. She was happy in the beginning, but a cold snap a little later on was a little hard on her, and she was discovered by a hiker. Of course, we took her back in at the soonest possible moment. The southern tamandua is nocturnal, so we have automated cameras installed around the area, and we’re checking every day for any traces of Blackie.
In 2020, another female southern tamandua named Little Red was only found three months after escaping. Blackie, the protagonist this time is a lovely granny aged 11. She’s about 50cm to 60 cm long, and sensitive and timid in nature. On the third day of her escape, the zoo hopes that people will keep an eye out for her, but urges anyone who spots her not to try to capture her. Instead, they should notify the zoo immediately.
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2026-05-21