Brazil: Millions of Wild Animals Threatened by Fires

Environmentalists warn that millions of wild animals are being killed or injured by fires deliberately set in Brazil to clear land.

But that is only the beginning. Workers report having already seen young deer with burned legs, monkeys and jaguars reduced to charcoal by the flames, and others with burned paws, dehydrated or starving, unable to find food or water.

Many of the fires destroying habitats in Brazil's biodiversity hotspots are being set deliberately to clear land for growing crops that are used to feed livestock around the world.

According to World Animal Protection (WAP), more land is being cleared and burned than ever before in the Pantanal region in the west of the country — the world's largest wetland.

Last year, an estimated 65 million native vertebrates were killed or injured by fires in the Pantanal, which also extends into Bolivia and Paraguay.

At the start of this year's fire season, Brazil's National Institute for Space Research had already recorded 139’756 fires.

The animal welfare organisation WAP, together with a regional environmental organisation and local rescue teams, is working to create escape corridors through the flames and smoke-filled areas, as well as providing water and food for wild animals.

Rescuers say that wild animals are captured and treated when necessary before being released back into the wild wherever possible.

Greenpeace has launched a campaign against the wildfires in Brazil's Amazon, the Cerrado, and the neighbouring Pantanal wetlands, as the fires in Brazil are getting worse year by year.

Farmers use the «slash-and-burn« method to clear entire stretches of land of their natural vegetation,to grow soy for animal feed that is exported worldwide for the meat industry, according to the activists.

Joao Almeida, executive director of World Animal Protection Brazil, said: «The Cerrado is considered a savanna ecosystem with one of the greatest biodiversity in the world, and the Pantanal is the world's largest tropical wetland and a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site.«

The impact of these fires on the environment and wildlife is devastating.

We can no longer ignore the connection between factory farming and the irresponsible behavior of the large corporations causing this destruction.

Joao Almeida

In Brazil's central state of Goiás, fires that have destroyed at least 44’480 hectares of vegetation this month are threatening a national park home to rare species such as jaguars and maned wolves.

Leticia Larcher, a local biologist working with WAP, said: «Last year, 90% of the entire area we work in went up in flames, and an estimated 17 million animals died as a result. Our mission is to preserve the Pantanal.«

The charity is calling for a ban on the construction of new factory farms.