Such a heartbreaking moment!
Mario cared for these animals all his working life, and now giraffes at a Dutch zoo have bade a final farewell to their keeper who’s dying of cancer.
In a touching moment, one even leaned over the rails of the enclosure and gave their keeper a farewell kiss as he was wheeled into the area on his hospital bed.
This happened at Rotterdam’s Diergaarde Blijdorp Zoo in Holland after a charity made the 54-year-old’s last wish come true.
The maintenance worker’s request to see his giraffes whose enclosure he cleaned up every day resulted in the unexpected moment when one of his beloved animals gave him a last nuzzle and a final farewell kiss.
The trip was organised by Dutch charity Ambulance Wish Foundation.
The founder, Kees Veldboer, said, “These animals recognised him, and felt that things weren’t going well with him.
“It was a very special moment. You saw him beaming.”
Mario, who is also mentally disabled, then requested for a moment to say bye to his colleagues at the zoo, where he has worked for 25 years.
Kees said, “It was very nice that we were able to work on the last wish of this man.”
[Source]
