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Wounded protected jaguar found and rescued from Brazilian river
Officials rescued a jaguar found swimming in Brazil’s Rio Negro on Wednesday, October 1. (Credit: Amazonas State Secretariat for Public Security via Storyful)
A wounded jaguar struggling to cross Brazil’s Rio Negro was rescued by officials near Manaus after spending hours in the water, authorities said.
The rescue happened on October 1.
The Amazonas State Secretariat for Public Security shared footage of the jaguar clinging to a float as a military police boat towed it through the Rio Negro near Manaus, Brazil.
What they're saying:
"The Amazonas Military Police (PMAM), through the Environmental Battalion, received a report that a jaguar had been trying to cross the river for several hours," the secretariat wrote on Instagram. "Upon arriving at the scene, the team found the animal very weak."
Dig deeper:
The military police coordinated with the Animal Protection Secretariat and a feline specialist to carry out the rescue.
Local reports said the jaguar had been shot multiple times and was found with more than 30 pieces of shrapnel embedded in its face, head, and neck.
Despite its injuries, officials said the animal was in stable condition after being treated at a clinic in Manaus before being transferred to a zoo.
The jaguar, Brazil’s national animal, is a protected species, according to Folha de S.Paulo.
The Source: Storyful contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.