The Elm Street resident woke up to a lawn full of holes last week. She figured a skunk or possum had taken to her grass while she slept.

She was surprised the following evening to see an armoured animal digging away at the green grass.

"When I spotted the animal I had no idea what it was," she said. "My husband recognized it immediately, it's an armadillo."

The armoured creatures are native to southern states and parts of South America. Armadillos are common in Texas and Florida. The animals live in temperate and warm habitats, they would be unable to survive the harsh cold of Canadian winters.

So Gyetko called in some help to rescue the animal she believes found its way to Port Colborne by train or truck.

Staff from the Welland and District Humane Society have made several attempts to catch the critter. But they've come to a road block.

"He's disappeared," said manager Ted Bettle. "We can't find him anywhere."

Bettle was surprised to get a call regarding such an exotic creature. He said the animal welfare agency frequently gets calls regarding pythons on the loose, which usually end up being common milk snakes. But the call for an armadillo was a first for Bettle.

Staff have no experience dealing with armadillos and called in experts at Zooz in Stevensville to assist with a capture of the animal, Bettle said.

The animal is tricky to catch because its nocturnal, it only comes out at night. And the animal is too smart to get caught in an animal trap, Bettle said.

"It's an extremely difficult animal to deal with," he said. "If we could just find him, we'd be able to catch and relocate the animal."

The search for the armadillo is ongoing, Bettle said.