The first recorded captive birth known to the studbook occurred at Detroit Zoo on April 12, 1951. It was not for sixty years that any giant anteaters survived beyond two years in captivity. Unfortunately, many of the giant anteaters imported into North American collections faired poorly. The Philadelphia Zoo received their first female giant anteater on May 6, 1880. The first recorded importation of the giant anteater in North America was in 1880. There were 112 living specimens (53.57.3) housed in 46 institutions as of 01 March 2013. The historical studbook for giant anteaters in North America contains 583 specimens (214.285.76).
