The flood situation in the south of Brazil is still dramatic – many animals are also in distress. Now one of them, the horse “Caramelo”, became a symbol of hope and even touched President Lula.
The aerial photos from a Brazilian news channel touched many Brazilians: they showed a horse stuck on a largely flooded roof. The animal became famous almost overnight and was nicknamed “Caramelo” because of its brown fur.
Now, about 24 hours after the animal was first spotted, a rescue team rescued “Caramelo” from his predicament. The animal had spent several days trying to keep its balance on two narrow strips of asbestos in Canoas. The city is located in the Porto Alegre metropolitan region, which is one of the areas most severely affected by the flood disaster.
“Caramelo” had to endure many hours on the narrow roof.
Elaborate rescue operation
“Caramelo” was weakened, reported Tiago Franco, a firefighter from São Paulo, after the successful rescue operation. “We tried to approach him in a calm way,” Franco explained. Firefighters and veterinarians climbed to the roof, sedated “Caramelo” and placed him on an inflatable boat.
A total of four inflatable boats and four support ships with firefighters, soldiers and other volunteers were involved in the rescue operation. The whole thing was filmed from helicopters and broadcast live on television.
Social media influencer Felipe Neto kept his almost 17 million followers on Network X up to date with updates during the operation. He then offered to adopt the animal. “Caramelo, Brazil loves you!!! My God, what happiness,” he wrote.
Big relief on social media
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s wife Janja released a video of the moment she broke the good news to her husband. She can be seen whispering in his ear at an official event. Lula smiles, gives her a thumbs up and hugs her. The governor of Rio Grande do Sul also celebrated the rescue. “All lives matter, we stand firm,” wrote Eduardo Leite at X.
Meanwhile, “Caramelo” is recovering in a veterinary clinic affiliated with a university. The veterinarian and professor Mariângela Allgayer who works there wrote on social media that the horse was very dehydrated.
Violent for days Floods
The stranded horse is just one of many animals that have been fought to save in recent days. According to official information, animal rescuers in the state of Rio Grande do Sul are said to have rescued around 10,000 animals in the past week, plus thousands more that were rescued from predicaments in communities and by volunteers.
People in southern Brazil have been struggling with flooding for days as a result of exceptionally heavy rain. In the state of Rio Grande do Sul, large areas of land were under water, streets and houses were flooded. So far, 116 people have died as a result of the storm.