Brian McDonald
Canoas, Brazil — A Brazilian horse nicknamed Caramelo by social media users gained national attention after a television news helicopter filmed him stuck on a roof in southern Brazil, where huge floods killed more than 100 people. About 24 hours after he was first spotted and with people clamoring for his rescue, a team in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state successfully removed Caramelo on Thursday, giving a dose of hope to a besieged region.
The brown horse had been balancing for days on two narrow strips of slippery asbestos in Canoas, a city in the Porto Alegre metropolitan region that is one of the worst-hit areas in the state, much of which was isolated by the floods.
“We found the animal in a weakened state,” said Capt. Tiago Franco, a São Paulo firefighter assigned to lead the rescue, as quoted in a statement from that state’s security department. “We tried to approach it calmly.”
Reuters/TV GLOBO
Firefighters and veterinarians climbed onto the nearly submerged roof, sedated and immobilized the horse, then placed it on an inflatable raft – all 770 kilos of it. The operation involved four inflatable boats and four support vessels, with firefighters, soldiers and other volunteers.
The rescue was broadcast live by television networks who filmed from their helicopters. Social media influencer Felipe Neto sent updates to his nearly 17 million followers on X while the rescue was underway. Afterwards, he offered to adopt him.
“Caramelo, Brazil loves you!!! My God, what happiness,” she wrote.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s wife, Janja, posted a video of herself sharing the good news with the Brazilian leader, whispering in his ear at an official event. He smiled, gave her a thumbs up and hugged her. The governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, also celebrated the rescue, posting on X: “All lives matter, we remain firm!”
Reuters/TV GLOBO
Caramelo was recovering at a university-affiliated veterinary hospital Thursday night.
Mariângela Allgayer, a veterinarian and professor at the institution, said this Thursday afternoon on social media that he arrived very dehydrated.
He is around 7 years old and, given his characteristics, was probably used as a draft animal for a cart, Bruno Schmitz, one of the veterinarians who helped rescue and evaluate Caramelo, told the GloboNews television network. He’s also very kind, Schmitz added, which helped a lot with administering sedatives.
Reuters/TV GLOBO
“It was a very difficult operation, far beyond the standards even for specialized teams. I don’t think they had ever experienced anything like this, but thank God everything went well,” he said, then showing Caramelo standing.
The stranded horse is just one of many animals that rescuers have been striving to save in recent days. State agents in Rio Grande do Sul have rescued around 10,000 animals since last week, while municipal agents and volunteers have saved thousands more, according to the state housing department.
Animal protection groups and volunteers have been sharing images of difficult rescues and heartwarming scenes of pets reuniting with their owners on social media. A video that went viral showed a man crying inside a boat, hugging his four dogs after rescuers returned to his home to save them.
Heavy rains and flooding in Rio Grande do Sul killed at least 107 people. Another 136 are missing and more than 230,000 have been displaced, according to state officials. There is no official count of the number of dead or missing animals, but local media have estimated the number to be in the thousands.
Carlos Macedo/AP
Not far from where Caramelo was rescued, pet owners in Canoas celebrated as they waited in line to receive donations at a makeshift animal shelter organized by volunteers.
“So much bad news, but this rescue gives people here more hope,” said Guilherme Santos, 23, as he looked for dog food for his two puppies. “If they can rescue one horse, why not all the dogs that are still missing? We can definitely do that.”
Carla Sassi, president of Grad, a Brazilian nonprofit that rescues animals after disasters, said she is meeting with state government officials in Canoas to discuss emergency measures to rescue pets.
