The World Cup mascot armadillo needs our help

The Brazilian three-banded armadillo was chosen as the World Cup mascot. But outside the stadiums, it is facing extinction. Please sign our petition and tell the Brazilian government to protect Fuleco’s habitat!

Call to action

The Brazilian three-banded armadillo is able to roll itself into a ball – an amazing capability that explains its local name tatu-bola, or ball armadillo. It’s easy to see that it was the perfect choice to be the mascot for the World Cup in Brazil. But life is not at all perfect for the armadillo: Far from being as omnipresent in Brazil as soccer balls, it now exists only in small, isolated populations on the edge of extinction.

The armadillo lives primarily in the open savannahs in the northeast of the country but humans are steadily encroaching on its habitat, using the land for charcoal, cattle breeding and, increasingly, soy and sugar cane plantations. To make matters worse, hunting is taking a massive toll of the three-banded armadillo. 

A local NGO campaigned for the armadillo to become the World Cup mascot in the hope that it would raise awareness among sports fans for the threat to the species and the environment in general. The mascot’s name, “Fuleco”, was created using the Portuguese words for soccer and ecology. 

In response to criticism, the Brazilian government drew up a five-year plan that was to include nature reserves and a research center. Only 2 percent of the funds for this project have materialized so far, however, and no new nature reserves have been designated. 

Brazilian scientists are now turning up the heat on Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira. 

“If we collect enough signatures now, we can push the government to save the Brazilian armadillo and score a much-needed goal for conservation,” Dr. Felipe Melo of the University of Pernambuco writes. 

Please support the scientists’ petition to Brazil’s environment minister and help save the three-banded armadillo.

Back­ground Letter