BABY ANTEATERS NEED TO SURVIVE WITHOUT MOTHERS DUE TO ROAD ACCIDENTS
Baby giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) are going through a survival process away from nature at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (Cras) in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul. These animals are orphans of mothers that were hit by vehicles on the state's highways.
Still babies, they were rescued and received all the care from the center's veterinarians. Every three hours, they were fed with milk from bottles. Over time, they learned to drink from bowls and now feed on termites, their primary food source.
Once rehabilitated, they leave the Cras and go to partner institutions, such as the Tamanduá Project in Aquidauana. There, they live in larger enclosures to disconnect humans from food. This measure aims to prepare them to search for their own food so that they can eventually be reintroduced into the wild.
Road accidents are a major cause of death for wildlife in Mato Grosso do Sul. Wildfires also pose a significant risk to this species. Giant anteaters are considered a "vulnerable" species on both the national ICMBio list from the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment and the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) list.