‘Caramelo,’ the Brazilian horse stranded on a roof due to floods, is rescued after shaking the nation

CANOAS, Brazil — A Brazilian horse nicknamed Caramelo by social media users gained national attention after a television news helicopter filmed him stranded on a roof in southern Brazil, where massive flooding has killed more than 100 people.

About 24 hours after he was first spotted and as people clamored for his rescue, a team from the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul managed to eliminate Caramelo on Thursday, giving a dose of hope to a besieged region.

The brown horse had been balancing on two narrow strips of slippery asbestos for days in Canoas, a town in the Porto Alegre metropolitan area that is one of the hardest-hit areas in the state, much of which was isolated by floodwaters.

“We found the animal in a debilitated state,” said Cpl. Tiago Franco, a Sao Paulo firefighter deployed to lead rescue efforts, was quoted as saying in a statement from that state’s security secretariat. “We tried to approach in a calm manner.”

Firefighters and veterinarians climbed onto the largely submerged roof, sedated and restrained the horse, then lowered him onto an inflatable raft – all 770 pounds of him. The operation involved four rubber boats and four support vessels, with firefighters, soldiers and other volunteers.

The rescue was broadcast live on television channels filmed from their helicopters. Social media influencer Felipe Neto sent updates to his nearly 17 million followers on X as the rescue was underway. Subsequently, he offered to adopt him.

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

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s wife, Janja, posted a video of herself sharing the good news with the Brazilian leader, whispering in his ear during an official event. He smiled, gave her a thumbs up and hugged her. Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite also celebrated the rescue by posting on X: “All lives matter, we stand firm! »

Caramelo is recovering at a university-affiliated veterinary hospital.

Mariângela Allgayer, veterinarian and professor at the institution, said Thursday afternoon on social media that he arrived very dehydrated.

He is about 7 years old and, given his characteristics, he was probably used as a work animal for a cart, Bruno Schmitz, one of the veterinarians who helped rescue and to evaluate Caramelo. It’s also very gentle, Schmitz added, which made administering sedatives much easier.

“It was a very difficult operation, well beyond the standards even for specialized teams. I think they had never experienced anything like this before, but thank God everything went well,” he said, then pointed to Caramelo standing.

The stranded horse is just one of many animals rescuers have worked to save in recent days. Rio Grande do Sul state workers have rescued about 10,000 animals since last week, while municipal workers and volunteers have rescued thousands more, according to the state housing secretariat.

Animal welfare groups and volunteers have shared images of difficult rescues and heartwarming scenes of animals being reunited with their owners on social media. A video that has gone viral shows a man crying inside 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 people are missing and more than 230,000 have been displaced, according to state authorities. There is no official count of the number of animals killed or missing, but local media have put the number in the thousands.

Not far from where Caramelo was rescued, Canoas pet owners celebrated by lining up to receive donations at a makeshift animal shelter organized by volunteers.

“So much bad news, but this rescue gives a little more hope to the people here,” said Guilherme Santos, 23, as he searched for food for his two puppies. “If they can save one horse, why not all the dogs that are still missing?” We can definitely do it.

Carla Sassi, president of Grad, a Brazilian nonprofit that rescues animals after disasters, said she was meeting with Canoas state government officials to discuss emergency measures to save animals of company.

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Sá Pessoa reported from São Paulo.