Sir David Attenborough to narrate pioneering armadillo documentary

Secrets of one of the world's least studied mammals, the giant armadillo, are being revealed in a new documentary (BBC/PA Wire)

THE award-winning conservation and education work carried out by RZSS’s Conservation Project Manager, Arnaud Desbiez, and his team is being highlighted in an upcoming BBC television documentary called Hotel Armadillo.

The Natural World documentary, which is narrated by Sir David Attenborough, is due to air on Friday 7 April at 9pm on BBC2.

Little was known about the giant armadillo when Arnaud began his pioneering research in the Pantanal, which has been supported by RZSS since 2005. Fast forward little more than a decade and the team have helped transform our understanding of this ecosystem engineer, with the project being awarded a prestigious Whitley Fund for Nature Award in 2015.

Giant armadillos, being rare, nocturnal and living mostly underground in remote areas, are so hard to find or film that even the documentary's narrator Sir David Attenborough has still not seen them in the wild 60 years on from his first attempt. (BBC/PA Wire) — Giant armadillos, being rare, nocturnal and living mostly underground in remote areas, are so hard to find or film that even the documentary’s narrator Sir David Attenborough has still not seen them in the wild 60 years on from his first attempt. (BBC/PA Wire)

Hotel Armadillo, co-produced by Glasgow-based independent TV production company Maramedia, for BBC Natural World and PBS Nature for BBC Natural World, saw a small film crew work at close quarters with the Giant Armadillo Conservation Project over a span of two years in the Brazilian Pantanal. The programme will feature the first documented footage of a newborn wild giant armadillo, as well as the first pictures taken inside a giant armadillo burrow.

Arnaud Desbiez, RZSS’s Conservation Project Manager, said:

“It’s great to see the work RZSS is doing with giant armadillos being highlighted to such a big audience, and to have the whole programme narrated by Sir David Attenborough is very special.”

Arnaud and his team have helped shed new light on the hidden world of the species, including the fact that giant armadillo burrows provide shelter for over 80 different species of animal, making them a very important part of their surroundings.

Arnaud’s research has also contributed towards a community outreach programme which has reached over 65,000 people to date and actively encourages locals to report sightings.

Giant armadillos are currently classified as vulnerable on the ICUN Red List due to the multitude of threats they face.

You can watch Hotel Armadillo on BBC2 on Friday 7 April at 9pm.