A long-nosed, 125-pound aardvark arrived at the Nashville Zoo last weekend.
One-year-old Winsol is the first aardvark to come to the zoo, and is part of the Animal Ambassador program — which means he will soon be doing outreach events.
Heather Robertson, director of veterinary services, says they chose the aardvark because the zoo is about to expand its programming about Africa.
“Aardvarks are amazing animals. They’re actually nocturnal. They really only come out at night. They’re actually very hard to see if you go to Africa, because they’re burrowing animals,” she says.
Robertson says the zoo also hopes to get more antelopes — and potentially some gorillas — as part of this expansion.
Join us in welcoming our very first aardvark to Nashville Zoo! One-year-old Winsol arrived from @CincinnatiZoo this past weekend and will be a part of our ambassador animal program.
Say hello to him in the Veterinary Center Neonatal Care Room:blush:
Photo Credit:Melinda Kommavongsa pic.twitter.com/Ao9cfut7dn— Nashville Zoo (@NashvilleZoo) March 18, 2019
She says the zoo works with species survival groups to determine which animals can come to Nashville.
“We had put out that we were looking for an animal that’s not recommended for breeding. Sometimes there are too many males that need a home,” said Robertson. “So this guy at Cincinnati, being a boy, was raised and recommended for our ambassador program.“
Right now, Winsol is under watch at the veterinary center. But soon, he’ll be available for view by the public.
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