Yes, Armadillos are in Indiana! Is it Legal to Trap Them?

I have a friend that told me she had seen armadillos in the Carmi, Illinois area a couple of years ago. I thought that was weird because armadillos live out west right?

Sidenote, while writing this article I keep humming George Strait's song 'Amarillo by Morning', and replacing Amarillo with Armadillo. Evidently, Weird Al lives in my brain.

via GIPHY

We Live Here Now

According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, armadillos have been around Southern Indiana since the early 2000s. We don't see very many of them because they do prefer warmer weather. But if it happens to not freeze during the winter months, they can burrow and then reappear in the spring.

Photo: INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

Fun Fact: Armadillo translates to “little armored one” in Spanish.

What's on the Menu?

I must say that armadillos have pretty disgusting meal plans, but they are keeping things like cockroaches, snails, spiders, and beetles away. The price for that will be holes in your yard bigger than what a mole would make. It's important to note that armadillos occasionally eat small mammals and reptiles. Yikes.

via GIPHY

Get our free mobile app

Call Me the Nine-Banded Armadillo

That is the particular species we have here in the Southern parts of Indiana. Named for the noticeable band around its shell. The armadillo is still so new to Indiana that researchers need more time to see exactly how fast the population is growing.

If you observe an armadillo REPORT IT HERE.

DAVID ADAMS ARMADILLO IN EVANSVILLE, IN

Recent Sightings

David Adams works for INDOT and shared a photo on social media of an armadillo that did not make it across the road. The was on Evansville's Westside off the side of the eastbound exit to Barker.

The post was shared to EvansvilleWatch and other reports are rolling in.

Westside of Evansville (General)
Tekopple and Forrest Ave
Eastside of Evansville near Kohl's
Boonville
Henderson, Kentucky
Pennyrile
Madisonville
Posey County

Should I Set a trap?

The short answer is no. Do not set a trap just to capture your very own armadillo. They are protected, so that's against the law. There are exceptions to that rule according the the DNR:

Nine-banded armadillos are protected under Indiana Administrative Code (312 IAC 9-3-18.5) and they cannot be trapped or killed unless the armadillo is destroying or causing substantial damage to property. If property damage is occurring, resident landowners and tenants can remove the armadillo without a permit or contact a permitted wildlife control operator.