BEHIND THE SCENES
The Pantanal is not just fur and feathers. It’s also where entire herds of cattle seem to magically transform into Churrasco and picanha, disappearing into your belly before you can say “just a small piece.” For vegans, this meaty wonderland is less a culinary delight and more a heroic challenge: where the only thing rarer than a jaguar sighting might be a tofu skewer. But thankfully, there’s one thing everyone can agree on: a cold beer at the end of the day – and frankly, there’s nothing wrong with one during the day either.
During one of our nighttime stakeouts in search of nocturnal wildlife, we had an unexpected visitor: an anteater. He showed a brief, polite interest in the film equipment – then promptly moved on to what truly mattered: a can of beer. Water? Absolutely beneath him.
The Anteater Likes Beer
Peter also works in wildlife monitoring back in Austria, so of course a camera trap had to come along. It was fascinating to see what unfolded in front of the lens, while we digested meat and beer behind the scenes.
From early morning until nightfall, we were on the move, crossing winding side arms and drifting through the vast floodplains of the Pantanal. Between long stretches of silence and sudden bursts of movement, we tracked, listened, and observed. It felt less like a trip and more like stepping into a living nature documentary, where every ripple and rustle hinted at something just out of sight.
