Here’s that moment on video:
“I believe he understood that I was there to help him,” Cledson said. “Normally, armadillos do not let human beings get close to them. It was magical and unique.”
After getting his fill, the armadillo continued to stay close by Cledson for a time — a gesture Cledson took as a show of trust and gratitude.
Cledson considered taking the armadillo home until the fires subsided, but he knew that such intervention is prohibited and that the best place for the armadillo was in the wild. Still, being able to help the little animal was its own reward.
“It was very pleasant and gratifying,” Cledson said.