Our Tamandua (anteater) Encounter

The Columbian Park Zoo is a small zoo in Lafayette, Indiana. We visited this zoo back in 2015, and honestly didn’t appreciate it much. Our return visit in 2019 has us excited to return again! So what brought on this change? Animal Enounters…but more specifically, a tamandua (anteater) encounter with Digger the Tamandua.

The zoo has an animal Meet ‘n Greet program. Although the zoo is completely free to visitors, the Meet ‘n Greet costs $45 for three people, and must be booked in advance (you can see available encounters here). Although the sloth was a very tempting option, we decided on the tamandua. We had seen them before at the Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington, Illinois, and knew them to be a very active animal. We thought this would be a fun animal for the kids to interact with – and we were absolutely right.

Booking the encounter was pretty easy – Jasmine from the zoo’s education team got us all set up with a time slot that worked for both us and the staff. Although most encounters occur in a classroom in their education building, she informed us that this encounter would take place outside in the yard adjacent to where the ambassador animals are housed. Why can’t Digger meet us inside? Well…quite frankly because he stinks! Jasmine explained that because of the odor that tamanduas have, they don’t like showcasing him in a classroom, as it then taints the experience that other classroom programs might have.

After meeting Jasmine in the education building on the day of our tamandua encounter, she escorted us through the building and into the yard to meet Digger. An animal care expert, Lexi, met us outside with Digger. Because this encounter was outdoors, it was visible to others in the zoo, or walking past the zoo on a nearby path. Digger didn’t seem to mind the extra attention. Although he appeared nervous at first, Digger quickly got acclimated to the area and appeared completely comfortable.

For the first few minutes, Digger explored the yard, and quickly found some bugs that he could sample in the ground. Soon after, Lexi and Jasmine provided a tube for Digger to eat bugs out of to show off his large tongue. This was quite impressive!

Soon after sampling bugs, it was time for a real treat. Did you know tamanduas like peanut butter? No, neither did we, but Digger sure does! The kids were offered a small cup, that Digger was able to lick the peanut butter out of. While happily eating his treat, he didn’t seem to mind at all if we gently petted him.

After snack, it was time for a photo op. Digger was a bit preoccupied by looking for more bugs, but eventually he posed long enough for some nice pictures. If he did stray too far, Jasmine would pick him up by his arm pits. She needed to keep him in the center of the yard if possible. She cautioned that if he got too close to the fence, he would be able to climb up since tamanduas are tree anteaters and are used to climbing. That sounded like a lot of fun to watch for us. However, I don’t think Jasmine or Lexi wanted to have to chase escapee Digger through the zoo.

After a few more questions, Lexi took Digger back inside to escape the 90 degree heat. Tamanduas can adapt to temperatures, but like he shouldn’t be out in the heat for long periods of time. Our happy troop bounded back into the education building, grinning from ear-to-ear after the encounter.

So are you convinced? Want to try a tamandua encounter for yourself? Give Jasmine a call and she’ll set you up with an experience you’ll never forget. If tamanduas aren’t your thing, maybe try meeting a wallaby or sloth instead. Either way I know that you’ll absolutely love the experience that Columbian Park Zoo can provide for you. And if you do meet Digger, make sure you tell him that we say hello!

You can see more photos and reviews of our Columbian Park Zoo visit here.

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