Miss Ingrid reported the clinic had a new visitor yesterday...an anteater...staff was called to retrieve the long-nosed mammal from a coconut tree...

Belize is a spectacular country rich in teeming jungles, lush rainforests, dry pine savannas, tangled mangrove swamps, and dynamic coral reefs. It’s home to countless species of wildlife and creatures that inhabit the terrain including The Tamandua or Collared Anteater (tamandua mexicana). This diurnal and nocturnal, arboreal, terrestrial and solitary creature can be found in Central and South America; from the south of Mexico throughout all of Central America including Belize. It feeds mainly on ants, termites, and bees extracted after ripping apart their nests with their fore claws.

They have an average body size of 60 cm (23 inches); its tail would range as long as 50 cm (19 inches) and average a body weight of 6 kilograms (13lbs). Tamanduas are medium sized, with a long prehensile tail. It has distinctive colors; blonde on the head, upper back and legs, with a black vest, or entirely blonde, or blonde with a partial vest. It has four large claws on its powerful forelimbs, five claws on hind limbs and the tail is almost naked, pink with irregular blackish splotches. Tamanduas can be seen foraging on the ground or in the canopy anywhere in the forest, but seem most common beside watercourses, where their prey may be concentrated. By day in the rainforest a dense cloud of flies and mosquitoes accompanies them so they often brush their eyes with a forepaw. When inactive, tamanduas rest in hollow trees, burrows of other animals or other natural shelters. Their local names are: Oso Hormiguero, Tamanduá, Susurete, Oso Amarillo, Brazo Fuerte, Oso Mielero in Spanish, ant bear in Belize and in Mayan it is called Chab.

The new patient was soon on his way to a wildlife center...never a dull day at Saga Humane...

We sure could use an Anteater up here - the ants eat on me.

This type of rescue will become more common as development grows on the island. Currently we have a vast forest reserve of about 11,000 acres on the north of the island but it's already being encroached upon. As this is an island, wildlife simply has nowhere to go and we'll be seeing more and more human/animal conflict in future. If you have a wildlife emergency, you can always call the Wildlife Advice Hotline on 0800 822 8888 for assistance if you are unable to contact Saga or get any other type of proper assistance. It's always wise to call the 'experts' as well meaning folks who love animals sometimes do more harm than good when dealing with wildlife.