A nation celebrates as rescuers save horse
A Brazilian horse nicknamed Caramelo by social media users garnered national attention after a TV news helicopter filmed him stranded on a roof in southern Brazil, where widespread floods have killed more than 100 people.
About 24 hours after he was first spotted and with people clamouring for his rescue, a team in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state yesterday removed Caramelo, providing a dose of hope to a beleaguered region.
The brown horse had been balancing on two narrow strips of slippery asbestos for days in Canoas, a city in the Porto Alegre metropolitan area that is one of the hardest-hit areas in the state, much of which has been isolated by floodwaters.
Firefighters and veterinarians climbed onto the mostly submerged roof, sedated and immobilised the horse and then laid him on an inflatable raft — all 350kg of him.
The rescue was broadcast live on television networks that filmed from their helicopters. Social media influencer Felipe Neto sent out updates to his almost 17 million followers on X as the rescue was underway. Afterwards, he offered to adopt him.
It was a very difficult operation, well beyond the standards even for specialised teams.
Bruno Schmitz, veterinarian
President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva’s wife, Janja, posted a video of herself sharing the good news with the Brazilian leader, whispering into his ear at an official event. He smiled, gave a thumbs up and hugged her to him. Rio Grande do Sul’s Gov. Eduardo Leite also celebrated the rescue, posting on X: “All lives matter, we stand firm!”
Caramelo is recovering at a veterinary hospital.
“It was a very difficult operation, well beyond the standards even for specialised teams. I think they had never been through something like this before, but thank God everything went well,” Bruno Schmitz, one of the veterinarians who helped rescue and evaluate Caramelo, told television network GloboNews.
The stranded horse is just one of many animals rescue workers have been striving to save in recent days. Rio Grande do Sul state agents have rescued about 10,000 animals since last week, while those in municipalities and volunteers have saved thousands more, according to the state’s housing secretariat.
Animal protection groups and volunteers have been sharing images of difficult rescues and heartwarming scenes of pets reuniting with their owners on social media. One video that went viral shows a man crying inside a boat, hugging his four dogs after rescuers went back to his home to save them.
Heavy rains and flooding in Rio Grande do Sul have killed at least 107 people. Another 136 are reported missing and more than 230,000 have been displaced, according to state authorities. There is no official tally for the number of animals that have been killed or are missing, but it is estimated to be in the thousands.