‘Caramelo’, Brazilian horse stranded on roof amid devastating floods, rescued until country’s aid

A Brazilian horse, nicknamed Caramelo by social media users, attracted national attention after a television news helicopter spotted it on a roof, believed to have lasted for days, in southern Brazil, where massive flooding has killed more than 100 people.

About 24 hours after it was first spotted and as people screamed for his rescue, a team in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul successfully removed Caramelo on Thursday, bringing a dose of hope to a beleaguered region.

The brown horse balanced on two narrow strips of slippery asbestos in Canoas, a town in the Porto Alegre metropolitan area, one of the hardest-hit areas in the state, much of which is isolated by flooding.

“We found the animal in a weakened condition,” says Cap. Tiago Franco, a firefighter from Sao Paulo who was deployed to lead the rescue effort, was quoted in a statement from that state’s security secretariat. “We tried to approach in a calm way.” Firefighters and veterinarians climbed onto the partially submerged roof, tranquilized and immobilized the horse, then placed it on an inflatable raft — all 770 pounds of it. The operation involved four inflatable boats and four support vessels, with firefighters, soldiers and other volunteers.

The rescue was broadcast live on television networks filming from their helicopters. Social media influencer Felipe Neto sent updates to his nearly 17 million followers on X as the rescue was underway. Then he offered to adopt it.

”Caramelo, Brazil loves you!!! My God, what luck,” he wrote.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s wife Janja posted a video of herself sharing the good news with the Brazilian leader as she whispered in his ear at an official event. He smiled, gave her a thumbs up and hugged her to him. Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite also celebrated the rescue, posting on X: “All lives matter, we stand firm!” The stranded horse is just one of many animals that rescuers have tried to save in recent days. Rio Grande do Sul state agents have rescued about 10,000 animals since last week, while those in municipalities and volunteers have rescued thousands more, the state’s housing secretariat said.

Animal rescue groups and volunteers are sharing images of difficult rescues and heartwarming scenes of pets being reunited with their owners on social media. One video that went viral shows a man crying in a boat, hugging his four dogs after rescuers returned to his home to save them.

Heavy rains and flooding in Rio Grande do Sul have killed at least 107 people. Another 136 are reported missing and state authorities say more than 230,000 people have been displaced. There is no official count of the number of animals killed or missing, but local media estimate the number is in the thousands.

Carla Sassi, president of Grad, a Brazilian nonprofit that rescues animals after disasters, said she is meeting with government officials in Canoas to discuss emergency measures for pet rescue.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)