The rescue of a horse stranded on a roof in southern Brazil has given hope to a nation besieged by massive floods that have killed more than 130 people and displaced hundreds of thousands. ‘Caramelo‘, as the animal was nicknamed on social media, was rescued by firefighters after remaining for hours on a roof in Canoas, a city in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, among the most affected by the recent torrential rains.
The brown horse, weighing 349kg, was balanced precariously on two narrow strips of slippery asbestos. The rescue, broadcast live on television, saw the team sedate the animal before placing it in a dinghy. “We found him in a very debilitated state“Capt. Tiago Franco, a Sao Paulo firefighter sent to lead the operation, said in a statement.
Social media influencer Felipe Neto sent updates to his nearly 17 million followers on X while the rescue was underway. He later offered to adopt him. “Caramelo, Brazil loves you!!! My God, how happy,” he wrote.
Caramelo, believed to be seven years old, he is recovering at a university-affiliated veterinary hospital. Mariangela Allgayer, a veterinarian and professor at the institute, said on social media that he arrived very dehydrated. Bruno Schmitz, one of the veterinarians who helped rescue and evaluate Caramelo, told the GloboNews television network that “it was a very difficult operation, well beyond the standards even for specialized teams. I think they had never experienced something like this. before, but thank God everything went well.”
The latest official death toll speaks of at least 136 deaths. There are 125 missing and more than 1.9 million people affected by the consequences of the torrential rains. The BBC speaks of over 408,000 displaced people and the damage in Porto Alegre, from electricity lines to drinking water which is lacking for most of the city’s inhabitants.
According to the authorities, the agencies of Rio Grande do Sul have saved around 10,000 animals since last week, while those of the municipalities and volunteers saved thousands more. There is no official count of the number of animals killed or missing, but local media estimate the number to be in the thousands.
