Fire Hits Animal Sanctuaries in the Pantanal, in Scenes that Repeat the Tragedy of 2020

Folha returns to a farm in Serra do Amolar where a charred howler monkey became a symbol of destruction 4 years ago

Aug.8.2024 1:12PM

Jaguars, agoutis, monkeys, tapirs, snakes, caimans, among other animals, have once again suffered from the fires spreading across the Pantanal. The scenes of charred animals now repeat the tragedy of 2020—a memory that still haunts those who witnessed the situation that year, considered the record for destruction of the biome.

This week, the report traveled to places where wildlife species were recorded charred four years ago, such as the Santa Tereza farm in Corumbá (MS). It is located in Serra do Amolar, a region on the border with Bolivia that is among the most preserved in the Pantanal.

On the property, which has a vast area dedicated to preservation, Folha found several dead animals, including a capuchin monkey. The scene of the charred monkey this Tuesday (6) is similar to that of a howler monkey recorded in a photo on October 4, 2020, taken at the same location.

This image was part of a series that won the Environment category of the World Press Photo in 2021, the most prestigious photojournalism award in the world. Scientists estimate that around 17 million vertebrates died in the Pantanal as a result of the fire in 2020, a number considered the most critical ever documented. The total number of animals killed in 2024 has not yet been determined. The Pantanal, the largest floodable area on the planet, is home to 656 species of birds, 159 mammals, 325 fish, 98 reptiles, 53 amphibians, and more than 3,500 plants, according to the NGO WWF Brazil.

https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/scienceandhealth/2024/08/fire-hits-animal-sanctuaries-in-the-pantanal-in-scenes-that-repeat-the-tragedy-of-2020.shtml