Unfortunatly most are still wild caught but with more research into their diet ect there have been more captive births and that is slowly changing. I tried to buy a captive born and bred baby from a lady who had a pair but she claimed she wasn't getting my messages and sold him to someone else.

I plan to get her a mate in the future. I also know someone kind of local with a male but he needs to grow up first. Then we will do our small part to help ensure their future in captivity and we will be educating about them in the wild as well.

She basicaly came right to me from the wild with a stop or two along the way. She was in ruff shape and so likely wouldn't have survived much longer in the wild. For a "wild" animal she is very loving. She has no want to escape either. When I take her in the yard when the weather's nice she knows her way right back to my door and when I take her out to pee at the shop when it's warm enough she also heads right back for the shop door when done.

I know how some feel about it and thought it over myself and decided I was fine with it long as I did something to help out. I can't feel bad about it myself. Aside from the fact I feel her life was saved by coming here they aren't excatly a prized species down there. One study showed they are tied with capuchin monkeys as most comonly killed as nusance/pest animals. They are known to wander into homes and trash/dumpsters also killed by hunters on sites for the mistaken notion they are dog killers. They can but only in self defense. Sometimes killed for food or tourists and as with most wildlife is most common to see them dead on the road than in the wild.

They are not endagered though or officialy threatened. The trade is heavely regulated and the amount they allow out gets smaller each year. So trade may be stopped in the near future.

Even on my Xenartha keepers forum(anteaters, sloths, and armadillos) there are differing views so I know how some people feel. But all species in captivity started somewhere. Even hamsters haven't really been raised in captivity all that long, a few decades.

But however anyone looks at it look on the bright side in a few years if all goes well you'll get to see baby anteater pictures

Sorry if that got to long winded but I just figured I would go ahead and explain how I saw it all before anyone commented. Most exotics are bred in captivity. Certainly no one prefers to get a wild animal over a captive bred baby but it all starts somewhere. The way I see it if I'm succesful in breeding it will help give others an option to wild caught.