Every week, they manage to save animals when individuals affected by pet keeping, illegal trafficking, or animals that suffer some kind of road accident are brought to the Rescue Center of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of the province. Just this week, they released a capybara that was kept as a pet and a family of howler monkeys. The same will happen with parrots that were being trafficked.
The Rescue, Research, and Fauna Interpretation Center “La Esmeralda”, located in the northern area of the city of Santa Fe, receives a significant amount of wild specimens of different species weekly to save animals, most of which are rescued from captivity conditions and transferred to this complex to be assisted in their recovery before being returned to their natural habitat.
“It is a quite common task; every week many animals coming from pet keeping, illegal trafficking, animals that suffer some kind of accident on roads, and others are admitted. At La Esmeralda, they receive veterinary assistance to reach rehabilitation,” explained Mauro Pergareze, director of the Central Delegation of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of the province.
In this regard, he mentioned that a few days ago a capybara rescued from pet keeping was relocated to its habitat and released, while next week “we will go to the Villa Guillermina area to release a family of howler monkeys, who arrived from the Ecoparque in Mendoza, through an agreement we have with the Ministry of Environment and Energy of that province.” He also anticipated that during autumn the same will be done with “flocks of talking parrots; flocks of more than 30 parrots, which are also one of the most trafficked species in the country and frequently arrive at La Esmeralda because the work we do, particularly with these species, is well known and recognized for saving animals.”
How is the process to save animals carried out
Meanwhile, Mauro Longhi, a veterinarian at La Esmeralda, detailed the protocol followed with the animals upon their arrival at the Rescue Center, stating that “first, an initial examination is performed. Depending on the condition and the species, different processes are followed. Their health, behavior, and whether they have the potential for immediate release are assessed. If they need to remain in the facilities for their recovery, they follow that path. They first go through a quarantine stage, whose duration varies according to each species, and then the steps to be taken are planned based on their progress.”
The specialist also indicated that “there are certain species that are part of conservation programs, such as the yellow cardinal, the maned wolf, or the talking parrot, among others; and depending on the season, prevention, identification, and monitoring are also carried out. Breeding programs are implemented, and collaboration is sometimes established with other provinces or different locations within the province for the prompt release of these specimens. There is also a whole research line for each species, aiming to achieve subsequent recognition.”
Capybara liberation
Regarding the released capybara, Pergareze mentioned that the case was coordinated with the Ecological Police, who “were informed about this case, approached the residence (where the animal was in captivity), carried out the rescue, and coordinated the admission to La Esmeralda, where it was observed for a couple of days and verified to be in good health.” The official emphasized that “it is important to reach liberation as soon as possible, precisely so that it does not adapt to the controlled environment, but can express its natural behaviors normally,” so, upon confirmation of its condition, it was promptly reintegrated.
Pergareze also acknowledged that “it is common for people to decide to have a capybara as a pet, as they are very charismatic animals and abundant in the province,” but he recalled that “keeping any wild animal as a pet is prohibited, it is punishable by law.”
Reports to 911
Finally, Longhi stated that to make reports in this regard, 911 must be called, and through that number, coordination is made with the police forces for the rescue. “At the same time, they coordinate with us the entry of animals to the Center. There are animals in pet keeping conditions or in sales locations, animals that must be saved and are also marketed through WhatsApp groups or social networks, and we receive many alerts about that, conducting an investigative work to locate those animals and carry out the rescue.”
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