Jaguars Rescued From Devastating Wildfires in Brazil Need Treatment for Severe Burns
The Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetland at more than 42 million acres, is being devastated by wildfires. In June alone, before the fire season should even have started, 1.1 million acres had burned, more than 70% higher acreage than the previous record for that month. This came during the driest and hottest June on record and just as the dry season was beginning. Now, more than 3 million acres have burned, killing millions of animals. We’re working with an organization providing medical care to wildlife in the aftermath, and you can help.
Brazil-based conservation organization Onçafari runs a network of eco-tourism reserves, three of which have sustained damages in the fires. As they grapple with these damages, they're also working to restore habitats, as well as rescue a wide variety of animals and provide them medical care. The Pantanal is home to thousands of endangered and unique species, so there’s countless wildlife in need of help.
Among the victims that they're caring for are jaguars, an iconic big cat species seriously threatened by habitat loss. The Pantanal has one of the highest densities of jaguars in the world, and their habitat is burning around them.
The damages Onçafari has experienced are also threatening their conservation work, which involves studying the behavior and health of jaguars to improve their protection, as well as learning more about how to limit livestock conflict.
With the devastation of this year’s fires – which got off to a start six times more active then the harrowing 2020 season dubbed “the year of flames” - Onçafari needs a hand to keep their heads above water as they respond to the devastation surrounding them.
We’re supporting their work to provide urgent medical attention to burned jaguars, including surgery, medication, and supportive care. If you’d like to join in, click below!
Michelle has a journalism degree and has spent more than seven years working in broadcast news. She's also been known to write some silly stuff for humor websites. When she's not writing, she's probably getting lost in nature, with a fully-stocked backpack, of course.