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Armadillos Marching North to Illinois
"They move a lot of dirt," Robbins says.
While armadillos have been known to carry leprosy, cases of that disease being transmitted to humans are rare. "I don't think many people pick up armadillos," Hofmann says.
  An armadillo is photographed looking for food at the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Florida on April 15, 2003. Illinois officials report that armadillos have been killed on the road just about every year since 2003, reflecting what wildlife specialists say is ample evidence that the creatures with the pencil-thin tail are nudging their way northward from their southern U.S. climes. (AP Photo/Illinois Natural History Survey Mammal Collection, Michael Jeffords) (Michael Jeffords - AP) 
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Prolific diggers, the animals are far more of a health nuisance with their chronic rooting, posing risks to humans, cattle and other wildlife who may step into their holes. Then there's the smell.
"They stink," Nelson says, "and they urinate and defecate like any animal does when they're stressed. They're kind of nasty creatures if you ever get close."
Wildlife enthusiasts are using the northward march of the armadillo as an opportunity to educate others about the animals, which during the Great Depression were known as "Hoover Hogs" by down-on-their-luck Americans who had to eat them instead of the "chicken in every pot" Herbert Hoover had promised as president.
A casual search of the Internet shows that folks still eat armadillos, with plenty of recipes available online for such dishes as armadillo casserole, armadillo in mustard sauce, armadillo in cream sauce, and armadillo and rice.
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On the Net:
Armadillo: http:/
