A hawk perches on a nest as another bird flies by, in an area consumed by wildfires near the Transpantaneira, also known as MT-060, a road that crosses the Pantanal wetlands, near Pocone, Mato Grosso state, Brazil, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. The Pantanal holds thousands of plant and animal species, including 159 mammals, and it abounds with jaguars, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Much of the Encontro das Aguas (Meeting of the Waters) park, located at the border of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul states — known for its large jaguar population — had turned from emerald green to dark brown. “This is so atypical,” said Renata Libonati, who coordinates the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro's alert system for fires in the Pantanal. The neighboring state of Mato Grosso said it had also strengthened its workforce, with about 200 federal and state firefighters on the ground.

Source: ABC News November 20, 2023 02:25 UTC