When a thundering truck pelting down one of Brazil’s highways meets a sluggish giant anteater casually prowling for a termite supper, there’s only going to be one winner. 

For countless giant anteaters, listed among the world’s most vulnerable of creatures, the increasingly busy roads of the Cerrado, the unique savannah which stretches across a fifth of Brazil’s landscape, become their final resting place. 

Now an attempt to curb the highway slaughter and to endear the giant anteater to locals who may not always have appreciated its quirky charms is being backed by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. 

The conservation project has seen dozens of giant anteaters, some christened with very Scottish-sounding names such as Hamish, Scott, Reid and Kyle, rescued and fitted with collars to track their movements. 

The project’s involvement, however, has not been enough to save some from the destructive wheels of trucks roaring through the plantations of eucalyptus trees and cattle ranches which have sprung up throughout their natural habitat.

Of the 44 giant anteaters monitored by the Anteaters and Highways Project, four have died as the result of a collision. 

The RZSS, which runs Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park near Kingussie and includes two giant anteaters in its collection, is backing the project as part of its global conservation programme. 

It’s the second Brazilian project supported by the 110-year-old society. An earlier project led by the same researcher, Dr Arnaud Desbiez, revealed previously unknown details about giant armadillos. 

The findings from that research, which focused on the Pantanal area – the world’s largest wetland – is now expanding to other Brazilian biomes in an effort to support the species, which is also listed as being vulnerable to extinction.

As well as tracking the giant anteaters’ movements to gauge roadkill incidents, the Anteaters and Highways Project has quizzed lorry drivers on their attitudes towards the animals to establish if some of the kills may have been deliberate, either the result of callous attitudes to wildlife or prompted by cultural misunderstandings about the creatures. 

Dr Desbiez said: “There is a social component to our work. We interview truck drivers to see if they run over animals on purpose or not. 

“Less than five per cent were intentional kills because they didn’t care. But most feel sad when they strike an animal.”

Since launching the research three years ago, the project has covered more than 76,000 km of highway and recorded the loss of almost 600 giant anteaters among the 8894 animals killed as the result of a vehicle collisions.

The latest phase is aimed at working with authorities and others to find ways to help prevent the deaths, perhaps through the creation of underpasses to enable creatures to navigate safely. 

A key element of the project is education programmes aimed at “demystifying” the species: more than 3000 children’s books about giant anteaters have been distributed.

“Some people have negative perceptions of them,” said Dr Desbiez, adding that some of the giant anteaters helped by the project have been given Scottish names in recognition of the RZSS's support. 

“People can be a little freaked out, partly because the track left by their back paw looks a little like a child’s foot. 

“Giant anteaters have internal testicles, and you can’t tell the male from the female. Some people believe they breed by sticking their noses in each other. There’s is a lot of misunderstanding surrounding them.”

Giant anteaters have been slaughtered for their hide and their claws claimed as trophies, and others killed amid fears they might be dangerous. 

Relatively gentle members of the sloth family, giant anteaters use their probing snouts to hunt ants and termites and their long, sticky tongue to reach their prey. 

Their shaggy tails serve as a cosy blanket when the temperature drops and they walk on their front knuckles to protect their long claws. 

Pups spend their early months clinging to their mother’s backs, while the animals’ dark coats, poor eyesight and nocturnal nature mean they are particularly vulnerable to being hit by vehicles at night. 

Their natural predators are the puma and jaguar, they are most at risk from humans: over the last 35 years, more than half of the Cerrado has been lost to pasture for cattle or for cash crops like eucalyptus, while an extensive road network now serves hundreds of plantations and ranches. 

As a result they are the third most killed animal on the Cerrado roads, after six-banded and nine-banded armadillos. 

However, there is a concern that the Brazilian government’s attitude to animal conservation and development of sensitive areas could put species like the giant anteater at risk.

In June, the Bolsonaro administration launched policies seen as undermining and dismantling environmental law enforcement and which have led to unchecked deforestation. 

“We are worried about the future,” said Dr Desbiez. “Deforestation rates are up by 300% and the government is looking to change laws which had required landowners to set aside 20% of their land as native habitat.”

Helen Taylor, RZSS Conservation Programme Manager, said: “We support several international projects. 

“They include our programme at the Budongo Conservation Field Station in Uganda is researching chimpanzees but also looking at local livelihoods and how to reduce the bushmeat trade. 

“There’s a conservation genetics team in Cambodia helping to build a genetic laboratory, and in Nepal, researchers are developing protocols to take poo from leopards and tigers to figure out their diet. 

“We have giant anteaters in our collections, and the Brazil project offers us an opportunity to educate visitors about these animals and show the kind of in situ work we are involved in.”

The Anteaters and Highways Project: www.giantanteater.org