The Stories Behind 3 Photos of the Pantanal Fires Going Viral | Nature

In the midst of the greatest recent tragedy in the biome, the flora and fauna of the region have suffered intensely.

The fire has already affected more than 2.9 million hectares of the Pantanal, according to the National Center for Prevention and Fighting of Forest Fires (Prevfogo). The number represents about 19% of the biome in Brazil, according to the SOS Pantanal Institute.

According to the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), 15,400 hot spots (which usually represent fires) have already been registered in the Pantanal. It is the highest number since the entity began monitoring, which became a benchmark in the late nineties.

Animals struggle to survive, while vegetation is ravaged by fires. Many inhabitants of the region face financial and health difficulties, a situation aggravated by the harsh scenario of the coronavirus pandemic.

Thousands of people have shared photographs that illustrate the current period facing the biome, located in the states of Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso; there is also an area in Bolivia and Paraguay.

The images shared massively on social networks show situations such as the advance of fire in the biome, charred or seriously injured animals and vegetation devastated by the fires.

The exchange of images is usually accompanied by rebellious messages about the situation.

BBC News Brazil selected three photos that went viral on social media. To understand the stories behind these images, which illustrate the tragedy in the Pantanal, the report spoke with their authors.

• Pantanal has the month of September with the most fires in history
• The six factors that make it difficult to control fires in the Pantanal

The image that opens this report was made by the tour guide Ailton Lara, owner of the Pousada Jaguar Camp, on the Transpantaneira highway, which connects the city of Poconé (MT) with the Porto Jofre region, on the border with Mato Grosso do Sul.

The photograph, taken last week, shows a jaguar lying down in the Encontro das Águas State Park, considered the place with the highest concentration of jaguars in the world.

Located in the Porto Jofre de Poconé region, the park is almost completely engulfed by fires. Until this Friday (18), according to the Mato Grosso Fire Department, about 92 thousand hectares of the place, out of a total of 108 thousand, were destroyed by fire.

Lara says that she was sailing through the Pantanal region, looking for animals injured by the fire, together with friends from the Ecotourism Civil Association in the North Pantanal (Aecopan). “We acted as volunteers, to help animals that needed help, in the regions affected by the fire,” he tells BBC News Brazil.

When they approached the Parque Encontro das Águas, they saw a male jaguar. “The animal was near the water, but after our arrival it walked three or four meters and went under the shade of a tree, next to the river. We stayed with the boat there for a while, always at a distance from the jaguar, out of respect for the animal. ”

While they were standing in the park, Lara photographed the cat. He reports that the animal had its legs suspended, because it seemed unable to touch them on the ground. “Usually jaguars leave their claws on the ground. For this reason, we soon discovered that the animal had burned claws, so it did not approach them to the ground, ”he says.

According to the tour guide, the expression of the jaguar in the image that went viral is one of pain. “The animal was going through a very painful moment. He would stick his head between his legs and then lie down in an unusual way. This caught our attention ”, he details.

He reports that the people in the boat had no equipment to rescue the animal. Therefore, they called the veterinarians who work voluntarily in the region. “The problem is that the jaguar got up, after a while, it left there and entered the forest. Unfortunately, it was not possible to rescue him, ”he says.

“The animal walked slowly as it went and seemed to be in pain. The next day we returned to the same region, the veterinarians found traces of the feline in the ashes, but it was no longer close, “says Lara.

Since then, there has been no news of the animal. “I hope this jaguar is doing well now,” Lara says.

So far there have been at least two rescues of jaguars affected by the fire in the Pantanal. There are reports of cats being seen with paw problems, but volunteers were unable to rescue them.

The image that Lara made when she saw the cat was shared intensely on social networks. There are almost 80 thousand likes on one of the photography posts on Twitter. “I hope that this photo of the jaguar serves to mobilize people to preserve the environment and take care of nature, which is a good for all,” says the tour guide.

Destruction in Jaguar Park

Another image that went viral was also taken at the Encontro das Águas State Park. Using a drone, the biologist Gustavo Figueirôa, who is also a photographer, recorded the current situation of the place.

The photograph was taken on the afternoon of Tuesday (09/15), shortly after Gustavo arrived at the Pantanal to monitor the situation of the biome. In the image that went viral, you can see the landscape of the park, after more than 85% of its area was destroyed by fires.

“When I got on the drone to take the photo, it was a great impact. I was in the park last year and the landscape was different, because everything was green. It was a very beautiful place and now it is gray,” he tells BBC News Brazil .

Rate the situation in the park as bleak. “That place is home to many animals, especially many jaguars … Suddenly, all the resources that were left for the jaguars’ prey run out. In addition to the animals that died directly affected by the fire, there are also those that can be affected indirectly. (for lack of food) ”, he laments.

The biologist comments that he felt bad after registering the image. “It was a strange feeling, not believing in that. But in that moment, I could understand the dimension of what is happening,” he says.

Figueirôa lived in the Pantanal in 2014 and usually visits the region annually. “I have seen many fires in the Pantanal in previous years, but I have never seen anything like it this year. It is very heartbreaking,” he says.

The image made by the biologist caused a stir. In one of the most popular posts, the biologist’s photo had more than 160,000 reactions on Facebook, sadness being the most common.

The scene of a man on a ship with large fires in the background also resonated in the networks. The moment was recorded by journalist and photographer Bruna Obadowski, on September 5.

The man, known as Tião, has worked for years transporting tourists in his boat, in the Pantanal region. “He has practically been in detention for more than three months. Tião is devastated with the current situation of the biome ”, informs Bruna.

The journalist went to the Pantanal to collect testimonies for the A Lente website, where she works. In the region, she spoke with several people. After having lunch in a restaurant, Tião carried her, along with another photographer accompanying her, to show the tragedy of the fires.

“He said that the situation was very serious and insisted on taking us by boat on the São Lourenço river. Until then, he had not seen the proportion of fires near the river’s banks,” reports Bruna.

The journalist says that Tião showed the areas most affected by the fire on the banks of the river. “He was devastated, because the river, the boat and tourism are his livelihood,” says Bruna, who was also devastated by the situation in the biome.

She reports that, at first, she did not plan to photograph Tião. However, she soon changed her mind. “Her reports seemed very shocking to me. So, I started taking photos. As we talked, I made new records,” she details.

Tião’s photograph was shared several times on social media. He had more than 10,000 likes on a Twitter post by singer Luan Santana, in which four photos were posted about the burning in the Pantanal. The musician also shared the image on Instagram, where he has more than 28.8 million followers; the network does not allow the display of numbers of likes from other profiles.

Bruna believes that Tião’s photograph went viral because it represents the current situation in the Pantanal. “It is an image that shows how the Pantanal, which usually guides everyone, is a victim of fires.”

“This photo is a representation of the Pantanal on fire. Tião is a traditional Pantanal, which lives from fishing and tourism. He has not been able to fish, because there are few fish. And there are no tourists to ride his boat”, says the photographer . .