Its our favourite time of year – National Aardvark Day!
On the 19th March every year, we celebrate our African friend the aardvark. People often ask us why we’re called 2 Aardvarks. Well its not really because we originally had a special affection for aardvarks – I don’t think we even really knew what aardvarks were when we named the company. But over the past 6 years we have grown to love them, and have learned all about how they live and what they get up to. This week we went to Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire to say hello to the 3 aardvarks that live there.
Visiting the aardvarks at Longleat
Normally we celebrate National Aardvark Day by sharing aardvark gifts with our clients and partners. However, even though our gift last year was made of recycled materials, we thought this year it would be better to mark the day in a more environmentally conscious way.
A sleepy aardvark at Longleat
Climate Change & Aardvarks – Research
So in 2020 we are supporting a scientific research study into the effect climate change is having on aardvarks. The aardvark is an ecosystem engineer, and all that digging of burrows supports other wildlife, making them a keystone species.
The study is being carried out by the AfriCat Foundation, based in the Okonjima Nature Reserve in Namibia. We have funded the equipment for a moveable camera trap, a pair of temperature loggers for inside and outside the burrow, and a VHF radio ear tag for tracking the animal.
The below video was captured by the camera trap, and you can see the male aardvark in the video wearing the ear tag. There hasn’t been a lot of research into aardvarks, and previously it was thought that aardvarks were mostly solitary, so this video showing a male and female together is already quite interesting for Dr Sarah Edwards and her team, who are carrying out the research.
2 aardvarks caught by the 2 Aardvarks camera trap in Namibia
If you’d like to know more about the research, please see our interview with Dr Sarah Edwards. And you can read more on the AfriCat website, below:
