A giant anteater’s return in Argentina offers a case for letting nature restore itself

A giant anteater was spotted in 2025 at the Alma Guaraní reserve in Argentina's Corrientes province, the first sighting there since 1986. Researchers writing in Restoration Ecology link the return to restoration work begun in 2021, with camera traps showing the animal favoring areas left to regenerate passively behind fencing rather than the actively replanted plots.

Scientists caution the anteater's origin is unknown; it may have swum the Parana River from Chaco province during a 2024 low-water period, or come from a shrinking habitat elsewhere, or possibly escaped captivity. The reserve covers about 6,400 hectares, with 150 hectares under passive restoration and 11 hectares actively replanted with native trees.

Outside researchers note the finding doesn't resolve whether this represents genuine population recovery or a single wandering, possibly desperate, individual. The species remains classified as vulnerable, with habitat loss from agriculture and ranching still the dominant threat across the wider Gran Chaco region.

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