Anteaters & Highways

The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), a keystone species of the Cerrado and Pantanal, has become the symbol of Brazil’s first federal highway mitigation plan to reduce wildlife–vehicle collisions. Habitat fragmentation forces anteaters to cross roads in search of food and shelter, leading to hundreds of deaths—766 carcasses were recorded in Mato Grosso do Sul between 2017 and 2020, though the real number is likely much higher. These collisions have halved population growth and left many pups orphaned, whose survival in captivity is extremely difficult. To address the crisis, the Wild Animal Conservation Institute monitored over 85,000 kilometers of roads, recording 12,400 collisions, 40% involving large mammals. With technical support from ViaFAUNA, this data informed a mitigation plan for BR-262, approved in 2024, which includes underpasses and fencing and now serves as a model for similar efforts across Brazil.