Lick from a giraffe is a poignant goodbye for terminally ill man in the Netherlands
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
A giraffe gave a lick to a dying man who asked as a last wish to be taken to Blijdorp Zoo in Rotterdam, Netherlands, where he had worked doing odd jobs for 25 years.
Mario Eijs had developed a brain tumor and had difficulty walking or speaking. He wanted to pay a final visit to the co-workers and animals he loved.
The Stichting Ambulance Wens offers free transport to terminally ill patients.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Several giraffes became curious when Mario was brought to their inside enclosure on March 19.
"Mario got a lick on his nose after a lot of snuffles," Foundation worker Olaf Exoo said in a written summary of the day.
Exoo said it was "a last greeting to each other that gave everybody watching goose bumps."