The story of the final farewell between a Dutch zoo worker and his beloved giraffe will both break and warm your heart at the same time.

Terminally ill zoo worker Mario, who suffered from a mental disability, spent most of his adult life cleaning out the giraffe enclosures at the Rotterdam Zoo.

Dying of cancer, Mario’s last wish was to get the chance to say goodbye to the beloved animals that were a part of his life for so long.

Thanks to the Ambulance Wish Foundation, Mario got his wish and was wheeled him into the giraffe enclosure to say his precious goodbyes.

In a touching moment, one giraffe makes his way over to Mario and plants a kiss on his face.

“These animals recognised him, and felt that (things aren’t) going well with him,” said Kees Veldboer, founder of the charity. “(It was) a very special moment. You saw him beaming.”