From Staff Reports 

HENDERSONVILLE, N.C.  — An animal more commonly found in the South-Central U.S. is making its way into western North Carolina, Asheville television station WLOS (News 13) reported on June 15

Armadillos are beginning to show up more frequently, the N.C. Cooperative Extension Office in Henderson County noted.

They are considered an exotic invasive species and can cause damage to yards, buildings — and even forest ecosystems.

While armadillos are also known to carry a bacteria that causes leprosy, the CDC said they are considered low risk for spreading the disease. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission said it is best to always wear gloves when handling any animal.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission said armadillos can be hunted year-round with a state hunting license. However, landowners do not need a license to hunt the animals on their own property. Officials advise people to keep their distance if they encounter an armadillo in the wild.

News 13’s “Comment Bubble” appearing after its story included the following assertions:

• Quigz69 — “Armadillo’s are just Up-Armored Opossums. Somewhere in Nature a few Opossums went to Tankers School at Ft. Knox because being a Tanker is cool.” 

• 4theanimals — “They are important to the eco system just like the wolves are/were.  Humans keep interfering and everything gets off balance.  Let them be and eat all the fire ants they want......”

• twitchy — “We saw one run across Dillingham road in Barnardsville one night about five years ago, nobody believed us, but I’ve seen them before and knew what it was. This was back when they were offering money for coyote pelts, too bad we couldn’t stem the tide then, now they are yipping and running down cats in suburbia all night long. Armadillos are bad news, Leprosy is nasty and you can contract it just from digging up soil where they defecated, there’s a story from Texas where a man shot one with a .22 and it bounced off the thing and put him in the hospital.”

• Daisy7192 — “We see them everywhere in Piedmont, S.C.” 

• Gotcha — “We used to hunt these at night in Florida, some places would pay 5 bucks each, all I’m saying is don’t eat at any shady roadside taco trucks down there.”

Straightup1 — “Yuk. Thanks for heads-up!”

DaLestetBratt — “No permit is needed to kill an armadillos. I don’t know why WLOS is spreading vicious lies about this.”

• OldGoat164 — “They are the only natural enemy of fire ants.”

• Straightup1 — “S.C. needs them. I got stung by fire ants in Myrtle Beach at KOA, itching and burning worse than anything I have ever experienced.” 

• Oltimer — “Vicious?”

• Jussjess99 — “Not at all.. their defense is to roll in a ball when they get scared, man. They eat bugs... Not animals or humans.”