National Geographic Explorer and photographer Fernando Faciole spent three years documenting giant anteaters across Brazil’s Cerrado and Pantanal regions. His assignment shifted from tracking veterinary health checks to capturing the grim reality of highway collisions and the delicate work of raising orphaned pups in rehabilitation centers.
The Bottom Line
- The Scale of Loss: Between 2017 and 2020, data shows 766 giant anteaters were found dead along highways in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.
- The Catalyst: An agriculture boom cleared natural habitats and paved new roads, creating lethal crossing zones for slow-moving wanderers.
- The Hope: Better fences and passageways could help anteaters avoid danger.
The Personal Spark Behind a Three-Year Assignment
Long before cameras entered the picture, Fernando Faciole locked eyes with a giant anteater at age 15 while fishing with his father in central Brazil. Years later, in 2016, a fleeting encounter in Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula reignited that fascination. He guided tourists past an anteater climbing a tree—an extraordinary sight given that the species was considered locally extinct in that region for decades.
When the Wild Animal Conservation Institute reached out in 2023 for a story on giant anteaters, the project became deeply personal. Faciole stepped into a landscape shaped by agricultural shifts. As new highways slice through newly cleared fields to transport crops, native wildlife faces fragmentation.
From Veterinary Tracking to Highway Realities
Here is the kicker: the assignment took a sharp emotional pivot early on. Faciole initially focused on following biologists and veterinarians monitoring animals, adjusting tracking collars, and establishing baseline health checks. Researchers were even mapping a healthy giant anteater heart to aid captive rehabilitation.
Then came Ty. The team had monitored and collared the anteater, only for the animal to be struck by a car the very next day. That tragedy redefined Faciole’s lens. He began actively joining searches along Brazilian highway BR-262 and documenting the heartbreaking aftermath on road shoulders.
| Focus Area | Location | Key Observation |
|---|---|---|
| Highway Collisions | Mato Grosso do Sul & Highway BR-262 | 766 giant anteaters recorded dead between 2017 and 2020 due to increased road traffic. |
| Rehabilitation Centers | Across Brazil | Orphaned pups require round-the-clock bottle feeding, specialized diets, and careful exercise. |
| Habitat Documentation | Cerrado and Pantanal | Navigating tropical savannahs and wetlands where agriculture expansion fragments natural movement. |
Inside the Rehabilitation Centers
The human toll of these collisions extends far beyond the asphalt. Vehicle strikes frequently leave behind dependent anteater pups. Raising these orphans is an uphill battle. Pups demand specialized diets, constant monitoring, and customized exercise routines to build the strength required for a eventual return to the wild.
Faciole split his time between the grim highway stretches and these quiet sanctuary walls. His photography captures the fragile, intimate moments of young anteaters nursing and growing under round-the-clock care. Yet, experts acknowledge that even in rehabilitation centers, pups may not survive.
Infrastructure Solutions for a Slow-Moving Species
The math tells a difficult story for a slow-moving wanderer trying to navigate a fast-industrializing world. However, documentation brings awareness to actionable infrastructure fixes. Better fencing and dedicated wildlife passageways can reduce fatalities and reconnect isolated populations.
Faciole’s complete photographic feature offers a sobering look at a species on the front lines of habitat loss. What steps do you think infrastructure planners should prioritize to protect wildlife corridors in developing regions? Let us know in the comments below.
