Taipei: The Taipei Zoo successfully located its elderly lesser anteater, affectionately named "Blackie," late Monday afternoon after an adventurous week-long escape. The zoo reported that Blackie was not particularly enthusiastic about returning to its enclosure, despite the efforts of the zoo staff.
According to Focus Taiwan, the search for Blackie commenced on May 19, following the discovery via surveillance footage that the anteater had slipped out of its enclosure the previous evening. After nearly a week of freedom, a zoo staff member spotted Blackie casually crossing a road at approximately 5 p.m. while she was navigating a service route, which is not accessible to the general public.
The staff member promptly exited her vehicle to pursue the 11-year-old anteater, tracking it as it traversed the road and headed towards a boardwalk near the solar energy clock in front of the zoo's tropical rain-forest zone, dangerously close to an area frequented by visitors.
Additional zoo personnel were swiftly summoned to assist in capturing the anteater. Despite Blackie's evident "surprising strength and vigor," which included scratching a staff member's hand, the team managed to secure the animal and transport it safely to the zoo's animal hospital for a thorough examination. Initial evaluations revealed no external injuries, though further tests were planned following Blackie's rest period.
Throughout the search operation, the zoo deployed 65 staff members on May 19 and 20, with more than 10 individuals continuing to patrol surrounding areas each subsequent day. In an effort to locate Blackie, the zoo installed six automated cameras and four trap cages; however, these devices only recorded images of wild animals, such as Reeves's muntjacs, crab-eating mongooses, civets, and Swinhoe's pheasants, with no sight of the elusive anteater.
The zoo expressed gratitude to the Taiwan Detection Dog Association for its support during the search. At one stage, search dogs picked up Blackie's scent in a hilly section of the zoo near the giant panda enclosure.