Story By: Ana Lacasa, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: CEN

Video Credit: CEN/Cooperativa Arrocera San Salvador Itda

This is the viral moment two rare maned wolves skip through a field as a nearby combine harvester cuts down rice.

The maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is the largest canid of South America and the two mammals were filmed in the north-eastern Argentine province of Corrientes.

The animal is neither a fox nor a wolf, and is the only species in the genus Chrysocyon, meaning ‘golden dog’.

Pictures Credit: CEN/Cooperativa Arrocera San Salvador Itda

According to the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the maned wolf is classified as ‘near threatened’.

The animal is found in several Argentine provinces as well as parts of Paraguay, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil.

Their numbers are dwindling due to illegal hunting and agricultural activity and it is uncommon to see them during the daytime, according to reports.

Meanwhile, the video footage was uploaded to Facebook where it has gone viral with over 1.3 million views.

In the clip, the two maned wolves are seen jumping through the paddy field before gingerly passing the cameraman on their way to a nearby forest.

Netizen ‘Mariano Gandolfo’ said: “Thanks for not killing them! I am glad to see them still living there.”

‘Ja Repeto’ commented: “Weird animal! I thought a donkey had given birth to a dog.”

‘Lucio Cortez’ added: “They should be protected and people should know that they are endangered. They have the same rights to be here as we do.”