An attack by two jaguars in the early hours of Tuesday (9) caused the death of almost all flamingos of the colony maintained at Parque das Aves, in Foz do Iguaçu, in western Paraná.
Of the 176 birds, only four escaped alive. Monitoring cameras recorded the entry of jaguars into the enclosure.
“We are all devastated by the situation. Our team worked with each animal on a daily basis, working tirelessly to always offer the best care. But we are also aware that we are in the middle of the forest, a natural environment populated by wildlife. This fatality was an unexpected event”, said Paloma Bosso, technical director of Parque das Aves.
“Hunting Class”
The jaguars would be a female and her offspring and would be in the hunting phase, according to Yara Barros, Executive coordinator of the Jaguar Project.
“In large cats, it is common for the female to teach her young to hunt, before they become completely independent. All security measures to prevent attacks had already been taken, with our guidance and supervision, but as wild animals can have unpredictable habits, the event was unexpected and the first to happen in the more than 27 years of the Parque das Aves’ existence.” , said Yara.
“The surroundings of the flamingo enclosure have lights that flash intermittently, which are more effective than fixed lights in keeping big cats at bay. In addition, there are camera traps installed at strategic points for constant monitoring of wild fauna that circulate in the surroundings. Until this incident, large cats were never registered in the vicinity”, he added.
The family that owns the park declared mourning for three days, and it will remain closed until Thursday (11), with reopening scheduled for Friday (12) in the morning.
African birds have been in the park for 26 years
Parque das Aves was built by the Croukamp family in the middle of the Atlantic Forest and has existed for nearly three decades.
In 1995, 16 African flamingos arrived rescued from a salt marsh located between South Africa and Botswana. They started the colony that has lived in the Park since then.
In 2001, the park celebrated the birth of the institution’s first baby flamingo. The colony had Chilean and African flamingos.
(Published by Wellington Ramalhoso)
Reference: CNN Brasil
