This is the hilarious moment animal health workers discover an anteater that broke into a house seemingly asleep behind the cooker while cuddling a bottle of booze.
The incident occurred in Guaruja, a city on the coast of Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Thursday morning, 9th January.
The anteater, identified as a southern tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla), was found by a resident in the Enseada neighbourhood.
The resident contacted the Grupamento de Defesa Ambiental (GDA), known in English as the Environmental Defence Group, of the Guaruja City Hall for assistance.
The GDA is responsible for protecting and rescuing wildlife, as well as addressing environmental concerns in the region.
Upon arrival, the GDA team discovered the animal behind the kitchen stove, clutching a glass bottle filled with alcohol.
A video of the rescue shows an officer carefully retrieving the sleepy anteater from its hiding spot after separating it from its bottle of booze.
The anteater then placed into a cage for transportation.
After assessing its health and finding no injuries or illnesses, the team released the anteater back into the wild.
The release took place in a forested area on Morro do Sorocotuba.
Authorities advise that, despite their calm appearance, anteaters can cause serious injuries with their strong claws.
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