On a hot afternoon last week, Cledson Matias de Oliveira was driving along a rural route when something on the road caught his eye.
There, standing in the middle of the street, was a small armadillo. It looked like it was signaling to Cledson.
“The armadillo stopped as if it was asking for something. I think it was asking for help,” Cledson told the Dodo. “I stopped the car immediately, without a second thought.
Not only was it particularly hot out, the air was also smoky from wildfires burning in the region. Cledson rightfully assumed the little armadillo was thirsty.
So, after moving him to the roadside, and fetching water from his car, the kind passerby offered the armadillo a drink.
“He drank the water with great desire,” Cledson said. “He was really happy [I stopped]. I could feel it at the moment.”
Here’s that moment on video:
“I think he understood that I was there to help him,” Cledson said. “Normally, armadillos don’t let humans near them. He was magical and unique.
After filling up, the armadillo followed Cledson around for a while, a gesture that Cledson took as a sign of trust and gratitude.
Cledson considered taking the armadillo home until the fires diminished, but he knew that such intervention was forbidden and that the best place for the armadillo was in nature. Still, being able to help the small animal was its own reward.
“It was very nice and rewarding,” Cledson said.