Armadillo Rolls On The Ground With Its Favorite Pink Toy

May 30, 2020 by apost team

Rollie the three-banded armadillo is an Animal Ambassador at the NEW Zoo & Adventure Park in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In a video posted in May 2014, Rollie is seen adorably playing with his favorite pink toy while rolling around on the floor.

When visiting the NEW Zoo & Adventure Park in Wisconsin, visitors have opportunities for up-close and personal meetings with a variety of animals. This is part of the NEW Zoo's Animal Ambassador program which gives children and adults the chance to have a first-hand connection with an animal. One of everyone's favorite Animal Ambassadors is Rollie, the three-banded armadillo.

One of Rollie's favorite things to do is to play with his favorite toys. In his popular video, Rollie plays an energetic game with his favorite pink toy. It may be surprising that an armadillo would enjoy playing with a bright pink, rubbery teddy bear, but Rollie really seems to love this toy.

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The pink teddy bear is seen lying alone on the floor ⁠— but only until Rollie comes trotting on his short armadillo legs. When Rollie appears, he quickly jumps, grabs the pink bear and instantly and expertly curls himself into a ball. The two of them roll around the floor, with Rollie holding the bear close.

Because it's so much fun, Rollie does this all again. After letting go of the bear, he walks away but soon returns. He pounces on the bear, curls into his rolled-up shape, and enjoys holding his teddy bear.

Over and over, Rollie plays the game. He's got some impressive running and pouncing speed, and the teddy bear never sees him coming! Interestingly, armadillos are known for being able to jump remarkably high and run incredibly fast. Rollie has definitely demonstrated these athletic skills in his games.

As a three-banded armadillo, Rollie's species is not so commonly seen in the United States. The three-banded armadillo is native to South America, whereas the most commonly seen armadillo in North America is the nine-banded armadillo.

It's not often that people get the chance to see an armadillo in the day since armadillos are generally nocturnal. That's one reason why the NEW Zoo & Adventure Park has developed a program to allow a variety of up-close encounters with a variety of animals. According to this report from The Press, the NEW Zoo's Animal Ambassadors have included turtles, hedgehogs, penguins and even a porcupine, in addition to Rollie the three-banded armadillo! It's a rare treat to have the chance to touch or feed a zoo animal, to watch it closely and learn about its life and its habits.

But this program gives this opportunity to about 30,000 visitors a year. Sharing the animals' lives and stories helps zoos provide rich and educational experiences for tens of thousands of visitors who participate in their programs. These connections with animals increase awareness about animal care and about the need to save endangered animals.

Do you think perspectives change when people have the chance to meet unusual animals? Isn't it great that we have the opportunity to "virtually" meet Rollie through his videos? Tell us what you think, and tell someone else, too! Who is someone you know that would love to meet this energetic little armadillo?