The Rescue Center Costa Rica is a wildlife rehabilitation organization based in Alajuela, Costa Rica. A recent post from wildlife vet Giovana Miranda and the Rescue Center shows a baby anteater suckling from a bottle. Miranda captions the video: “Cutest thing you’ll see today – an anteater getting fed during my time working at the @rescuecentercr 🐜”
Miranda says while it’s a privilege to work with such incredible native species, she says: “To be honest I would be happier if [the anteater] had the opportunity to have his mom nursing him instead of her getting attacked by a dog and him coming to be rehabbed by us.”
Hopefully, the young, probably orphaned anteater will be releasable and gain a second chance at a normal life in the wild.
Watch a baby anteater drink from a bottle here:
There are four types of anteaters in the world, three of which live in Costa Rica. The country is home to lesser anteaters (or tamanduas), silky anteaters, and giant anteaters. This baby looks like it might be a lesser anteater/tamandua, but it’s not specified in the post.
Did you notice how the young anteater’s long tongue sticks out as he drinks? Anteaters typically nurse their babies for about six months before the younglings wean and begin to eat ants.