[ad_1]
A forest fire consumed much of a Brazilian state park known for its large population of jaguars. and it is still being fought by firefighters, environmentalists and farmers in the world’s largest wetlands.
The fire had surrounded the Encontro das Aguas (Meeting of Waters) park in Pantanal, located on the limits of the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, but the rivers helped keep the flames at bay. Ultimately, however, they made progress and have been wreaking havoc for more than a week. There is not much prospect that it will rain soon and that will help fight the fire, according to Mato Grosso fire department spokeswoman Lt. Col. Sheila Sebalhos.
“The prognosis is not good,” he said in a telephone interview from the state capital, Cuiabá, after spending weeks in the area of the fires. “The strong speed of those winds that change direction several times a day is favoring the rapid spread (of the flames).”
About 200 jaguars have already been injured, killed or forced to move because of the fires, according to Panthera, an international wild cat conservation organization.
The Pantanal is home to thousands of species of plants and animals, including 159 mammals, and jaguars abound there, according to the environmental group WWF. During the wet season, the rivers overflow their banks, so most of the region is only accessible by boat or plane. In the dry season, wildlife enthusiasts travel to see these often sneaky felines as they rest on the river side, alongside macaws, alligators and capybaras.
ARCHIVE THOUSAND SQUARE KILOMETERS OF LAND
The Encontro das Aguas Park, which spans more than 1,000 square kilometers (over 400 square miles), is unique in that jaguars are used to the presence of humans. They have been a major ecotourism attraction for more than 15 years, according to Fernando Tortato, an environmental scientist from Panthera, who owns a property in the area where jaguars roam.
Even before the fires started, employees and volunteers used two bulldozers on Panthera grounds to create a flame trench at the perimeters. Since the fires broke out, the group has monitored changes in wind direction in order to build new trenches and avoid devastation.
[ad_2]
