RS: petshop let animals die underground and saved computers, says delegate

The Cobasi petshop, in Porto Alegre (RS), saved the store's computers, while leaving animals underground, when the place was affected by the floods that hit the state of Rio Grande do Sul, according to Rio Grande do Sul Civil Police delegate Samieh Saleh.

“We identified that the computers and CPUs that were in the boxes in the basement were removed and placed on the mezzanine. They were careful to remove the electronics, but the animals were underneath,” she said.

The evacuation of the store took place on May 3, in the unit located at the Praia de Belas shopping center. Subsequently, birds, fish and rodents ended up drowning in the flood that hit the area.

This Thursday (23), the RS Civil Police, through the Environmental Protection Police Station, together with the Environmental Protection Police Station, carried out an inspection at the site. See interior images of the store:

During the inspection, several animals, including birds and rodents, that drowned were removed.

Two Cobasi units are being investigated by the Environmental Police for animal abuse.

According to the company investigated, the water reached 3.5 meters high inside the store.

According to the delegate, several witnesses were interviewed, and other people are expected to be interviewed throughout the week.

Ibama also issued two notifications to the company.

Cobasi explained that store employees had to leave the environment on an emergency basis. Before leaving, according to the note sent to CNN “store employees took all measures to ensure that birds, small rodents and fish were at a safe height and fed for their survival until employees returned.”

The brand reiterates that, at that time, they did not have the scale of the disaster that would hit the capital of Rio Grande do Sul.

“It is worth noting that only the 4 CPUs for the store's checkouts were taken to the upper floor, as they were 20 centimeters from the floor, a place that was next to the cashiers' feet, but all other equipment related to checkouts remained in their positions originals”, continues the statement.

Finally, the company regretted what happened and said it continues to cooperate with the authorities. Cobasi says that “it will confirm all the information reported above in the records.