- I'm Coyote Peterson.
Do you know what this adorable little creature is?
If not, stay tuned
'cause I'm about to tell ya'.
(dramatic music)
I think it's safe to say
that we all love baby animals.
Look at that.
That
is a baby toucan.
And when the Brave Wilderness Team and I recently
visited the Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary
in Domincal, Costa Rica
it didn't matter if they were soft and fuzzy
or feathered and squaky.
(bird squak)
We simply couldn't get enough.
This incredible sanctuary
and its dedicated staff
are helping animals almost every hour of the day
seven days a week
and no matter what the species.
One of their permanent residents, Gonzo,
the tamandua
was absolutely fascinated by our cameras.
And while we could have filmed an episode with him
we also had the unique opportunity
to film with Beru
the smallest tamandua you have ever seen.
Get ready for your heart to melt.
This might be the cutest animal
we have ever featured on Breaking Trail.
This is Beru, my little friend.
This little bizarre creature
that has me on the run
he is a lesser anteater.
Better known here in Costa Rica
as the tamandua.
(playful music)
And Beru was brought here to the sanctuary
after his mother was sadly killed by a stray dog.
Right now he's in the process of
rehabilitation,
being nourished and fed well every single day
which will build up his strength
and he will eventually be released back into the wild.
They do walk kind of awkward.
This is an arboreal species
and they're usually found up in trees.
But when they come down on the ground you can see
that they kind of just waddle along.
That's because they have to tuck their claws
underneath their hands
so that they can walk.
Very curious about this camera.
He's only a few weeks old
and look at how well he climbs.
Watch that, look at him get up the side of that log.
He's got me on the run.
And like all baby animals
Beru here is extremely curious.
Everything is new.
Including GoPro cameras.
This is some serious exercise.
I'm sweating bullets in here.
He's got me running around in circles.
- [Voiceover] So is this a large or a small tamandua?
- [Coyote] This is a small one right here.
But they do get to be about 30 pounds in weight
when full grown.
And about three feet in length.
And two thirds of that length
is usually in the tail.
You can see how long that tail is, oh,
look at that, that's a good natural instinct right there.
Exploring little holes in the logs.
What they feed on is primarily termites
and ants.
But at this age, he's enjoying goat's milk
and fruit.
And you'll notice this real distinct pattern
watch as he walks up here.
You see that?
It almost looks like this animal is wearing a vest.
You have the real dark coarse fur there
and as he grows older
this lighter fur will turn
a yellow-ish tan.
They're very very gorgeous animals.
And the tail only ever really has sparse front,
almost looks like the tail of an opossum.
Hey Beru,
come here buddy.
Look at those claws.
Now, they look menacing
on an animal just this size.
Imagine him being three feet in length
and weighing 30 pounds.
Now, they use these claws to tear apart
termite mounds
but they're also used to defend them
against predators.
Now you see how he can stand up on his back legs like that?
In the event that a predator is to approach
he'll do this, right there.
Rear up and show you those claws.
And then they will swing
(whooshing noises)
and like razor-sharp sickles
if you try to attack this creature
you're going to be in some serious trouble.
You see that, look at that nose.
Just slightly curved, and their mouth is very tiny.
Just enough space for them to stick out
this very long tongue.
His tongue is about four inches long.
And they use that to lap up termites.
They can sink it down into little holes
and it's sticky, the termites will stick
right to the tongue and then he sucks his food
right back into his mouth.
Look at how cute he is, look he's getting
a little scratch right there.
A little butt scratch here, I'll help ya' out.
Oh gosh, that's the spot.
My goodness.
Nothing's better than a good butt scratch, huh Beru?
Here you go buddy.
All right.
And, we're off to the races.
- [Voiceover] Where you going Beru?
Uh oh.
- [Cotoye] He found Mario.
He we go.
- [Mario] I've got no ants in my pants.
- [Coyote] Oh, how adorable is that face?
(laughing)
My turn.
Come on Beru, this direction.
Come on.
Let's go this way.
And what we ultimately want to happen is for
Beru to released back out into the wild.
And as soon as he gets a little older
and a little healthier
he will be released.
Look at that.
Look at that balance.
Let's see, come here.
Let me look at you.
Goodness, oh, he likes the microphone.
He sees that and he thinks, hmmm,
is it possible that that is a termite mound?
Beru is only a few weeks old.
And if he was still living in the wild with his mother
he would spend the first year of his life
relying on her for survival.
With his mother gone
Beru's future
is now in the hands of humans.
He is fed several times a day.
Gets plenty of exercise.
And the staff at Alturas is confident
that he will one day
return to the wild.
Well, how excellent was this?
Spending the morning
palling around with a baby tamandua.
I'm Coyote Peterson.
Be brave.
Stay wild.
We'll see you on the next adventure.
(gentle music)
The Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary's helping injured,
orphaned,
and overly domesticated animals
every single day.
And the work is incredibly challenging.
If you would like to help further their mission
of rescue,
rehabilitate,
and release
make sure to visit the website
AlturasWildlifeSanctuary.org
to make a donation
or become a part of the volunteer team.
So many adorable animals.
Which one do you think was your favorite?
Did you catch the episode about the
Mexican Hairy Dwarf Porcupine?
If not, make sure to go back
and watch my hang out with Bud.
And don't forget,
subscribe to join me and the crew
on this season of Breaking Trail.
Oooh, here's another peanut.
Ahhhh.
Just kidding.
That's for you buddy.