Baby Anteater Licks Volunteer's Face During Mealtime at Conservation Center in Brazil

Wildlife volunteer/journalist Goska Zdziechowska was captured on video feeding two baby giant anteaters just after they had been rescued and brought to a wildlife research and conservation center in Campina Grande do Sul, Brazil, on August 31.

The two animals, named Maria and Joao, were found after their mothers had either been killed by or fled from the fires that tore through the country earlier this year.

This video shows Maria taking food from the bottle Zdziechowska is holding, as Joao decides to search for ants on her face and proceeds to sniff and lick her cheeks, lips, and chin.

“I made them special food, fed them three times a day, played with them, cuddled them, and weighed them. Taking care of them was the most amazing experience in my life,” Zdziechowska told Storyful.

When giant anteaters are full-grown, they are six to eight feet long, according to the Smithsonian. Credit: Malgorzata Zdziechowska via Storyful