Friday, May 16, 2008

Collared Anteater +

I decided to get to the Bosque today, anyway I could get there. The dirt road going out has been so bad, I feared getting swallowed up by Lake Maria (or Maria's Hole, for those wanting to be more derogatory), the enormous mud hole the size of a football field blocking access. Needing to get some cement out to Cleuson for continuation of sidewalk building around the reception center, I nudged my small Fiat into the muddy water and went for it. It turned out to be much deeper than I had expected, so fearing that the motor would go under water, I stepped on the gas pedal and succeeded to surf to the other side. The car was mud from top to bottom but at least I didn't drown out the motor, which would have been a disaster. The rest of the 3 kilometers to the Bosque weren't interstate quality, but after Lake Maria episode, it was a piece of cake. Right after entering the Bosque limits, I saw this poor collared anteater (Tamandua tetradactyla) laid out in the road. "Probably hit by a vehicle", I thought to myself. I got out of the car to have a look and to my surprise, the animal wasn't dead. I could see a slight movement of it stomach, as it breathed. I took it the grassy area off the road by carrying it by its strong prehensile tail. I figured the anteater was much too far gone for me to have to worry about it swiping me with one its sharp claws. After putting it down in the grass, it raised its head maybe an inch off the ground and tried to get up. Then its head returned to earth and there were no more movements, except for the slight breathing. I left it to its fate and went on to the Bosque. What really happened to the anteater, coming up next.

2 comments:

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