A truck driver in Namibia was getting ready for his shift, so he checked the tires like he normally did before leaving. This time, though, there was a little, unexpected visitor coiled around one of the tyres. It was a newborn aardvark, an elusive South African animal.
The first thought that came through the driver’s mind was to search for the little one’s mom, but unfortunately there was no sign of her. Assuming he might be all alone, the truck diver decided to help the tiny aardvark, so he carefully took him and put him inside the truck. Once they arrived at the truck company’s headquarters, they called Dr. Erika de Jager – a local vet, who also runs ZURI Orphanage , a small rehabilitation center for orphaned animals.
Dr. Erika was pleased to accept the small aardvark and provide him with the love and care he need. “It was love at first sight for me,” said the woman.
Even though E.T., as she named him, was the first aardvark she had to care for, Dr. Erika was convinced that everything would be great and that the poor little animal would survive. “We had to do a lot of experimenting with different teats,” she explained. “We then began to give him the imported milk, and he instantly began to gain weight.”
Once he got at the orphanage, the nearly three month-old aardvark started to interact with the two rescue dogs there, Spokie and Zarah. And Dr. Erika could not believe her eyes how fast they befriend each other. For E.T. socializing with other animals was exactly what he needed to emotionally heal.
“The dogs were intrigued in him and behaved as if he were another puppy,” Dr. Erika said. “At the orphanage, they’re used to young animals like goats and warthogs, so it wasn’t odd for them.” They simply played with him as if he were one of them. He slept like a baby with the dogs and in their beds. ET probably had no idea he was an aardvark. I guess he thought he was a dog!”
E.T. recovered completely after five months at the institute and was strong enough to be released back into the wild, where he belongs. However, according to Dr. Erika, he still returns to see his adoptive mother and old friends.
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