Adorable armadillo is treated to special Easter egg treats before a weigh-in health check at a zoo in Austria.
Keepers at Schonbrunn Zoo, Vienna, served up the special treat for their leathery boney-shelled creatures in their enclosure.
Zoo video footage of the Easter egg-stra shows one tiny armadillo scuttling excitedly out from its burrow as a keeper puts down a straw nest of painted Easter eggs and a halved, boiled egg,
As it runs rapidly around the treat it cautiously licks one of the eggs.
Later footage shows the armadillo being carefully weighed by keepers as part of a regular health check.
As the keeper lifts it onto the scales, the cute creature is seen curled up in a ball, its natural defence mechanism against suspected attacks.
The creature is understood to be a Brazilian three-banded armadillo, one of only two species that can roll up into a ball.
Then a keeper is seen preparing a carefully balanced meal of mealworms, fruit, salad, grain and other treats.
A statement from the zoo obtained by Newsflash said: “It isn’t just children who like to go Easter egg hunting, the many residents of Schoenbrunn Zoo do too.
“To get in the mood for the upcoming Easter, a ball armadillo was surprised with colourful eggs.”
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Zoo Director Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck said: “Our ball armadillos’ diet primarily consists of insects.
“Since they eat a lot of other things in the wild while searching for insects, they also have a bowl of vegetables, fruit, cat food and insect meal every day.
“For variety, there is always a different treat – for example, a hard-boiled egg.”
He added: “When threatened, ball armadillos quickly roll up into a ball. Shoulder and hip plates fit together exactly. The head and tail shields close the gaps.
“At first glance, they almost look like an Easter egg themselves. In terms of size, however, adult spherical armadillos are not comparable to a chicken egg, but to an ostrich egg.”
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Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
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