When a dying zookeeper was wheeled into the zoo to see his beloved animal friends for the last time, they were emotional and made a loving gesture.
Mario has spent his life working at Rotterdam’s Diergaarde Blijdorp Zoo and as he battled cancer, his last wish was to greet his animals for the last time. The 54-year-old caretaker was taken by an ambulance that was generally offered by the Ambulance Wish Foundation.
He dedicated 25 years of his life to watch over and care for the beautiful wildlife. When he went to the giraffe department, the giraffes were ecstatic to see the man who was there for them for many years.
Not only that they recognized him, they felt as something was wrong with their loving caretaker and started giving him kisses.
Here’s the emotional moment:
It is well-known that animals are able to sense illness in humans, but the last thing that people expected when Mario came to see his animals for the last time was that kind of emotional reaction.
Sadly, Mario is in advanced stages of his illness and is mentally disabled as well, making it difficult for him to speak but his face was full of expression and surely was louder than words.
The founder of the Ambulance Wish Foundation, Kees Veldboer, said that the giraffes recognized him and felt that something was wrong with him.
Then Mario was taken to spend some time with his colleagues and say final goodbyes.
Humans and animals both have emotional intelligence and are able to share a unique bond. We are sure that the animals filled his heart with joy, and we know that the zoo-residents were lucky to have him as their caretaker.