The agency returned to pronounce on the case involving the farmer Agenor Tupinambá, known for posts with wild animals
Ibama (Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) released a note on Saturday night (29.Apr.2023) denying the information that there is a court decision determining the return of the capybara Filó to influencer Agenor Tupinambá.
The case gained repercussions on social networks after the farmer and influencer delivered the capybara to the agency in Amazonas.
Tupinambá is suspected of mistreatment, abuse and exploitation of animals in the interior of the Amazon and became famous for videos published on his profiles on social networks with the capybara Filó. Ibama fined the influencer BRL 17,030 and ordered the removal of videos published with the animal on their accounts on the platforms.
The agency returned to express its opinion on the case after a video circulated on the internet showing protesters at the door of Ibama in Manaus celebrating an alleged decision by the Justice of Amazonas that determines the return of the animal to the influencer.
Watch (1min30s):
In a note released on Saturday night, Ibama reported that the information that the animal will be returned is false. The decision only authorizes members of the Animal Protection Commission of Aleam (Amazon Legislative Assembly) to monitor work related to the rescued animal.
The agency also informs that the state deputy Joana D’arc (União Brasil) went to Cetas (Screening Center for Wild Animals) to monitor the situation of the capybara. Joana had disclosed on her profile on social media that the site had expired vaccines, but Ibama reported that vaccinating wild animals goes against veterinary protocol.
“The objective of Ibama after the technical evaluation is to return the capybara to nature, guaranteeing its well-being and compliance with the law”says an excerpt from the note (read the full at the end of the report).
The body’s decision on the case had negative responses on social media. Users and environmentalists defended the influencer from accusations of mistreatment and abuse.
Previously, the Ibama stated that the posts made by Tupinambá “stimulate the desire of people to remove these animals from their natural habitat” and encourages the trafficking of wild animals. The organ also cites a royal sloth that would have been killed by the influencer.
In a note published on Tuesday (April 18), Tupinambá defended himself against the accusations and said he regretted the assessments made by Ibama.
“If anyone lives in someone else’s natural habitat, it’s me, not the animals. I open the window and there is the river, the forest and the animals. I’m passing through this place. And I chose to be a guardian, not a criminal.”published on his profile on Instagram.
Here are the infractions and amounts of the fines applied by Ibama to the influencer:
- Practicing an act of mistreatment against a wild animal (a real sloth): BRL 530;
- Killing a specimen of wild fauna (real sloth) without proper permission from the competent environmental authority: BRL 1,000;
- Using specimens of wildlife without proper permission from the competent environmental authority: BRL 5,500;
- Explore the image of a wild animal kept in a situation of abuse (a capybara) and irregularly in captivity (a marsh parrot and a paca): BRL 10,000;
- Total: BRL: 17,030.
Read the full note published by Ibama on Saturday:
“The information released on Saturday (April 29) on social media that there would be a court decision ordering the return of a capybara to the offender Agenor Tupinambá is false. The animal had been delivered to Ibama last Thursday (April 27) and is under care at Cetas (Wild Animal Screening Center) in Manaus. Agenor was fined BRL 17,000 for various environmental crimes, including killing species of wild fauna (real sloth), practicing abuse (capybara) and keeping them in captivity for financial gain (capybara and parrot).
“A court decision published on Saturday afternoon only authorizes members of the Animal Protection Commission of Aleam (the Legislative Assembly of the State of Amazonas) to monitor work at Cetas related to the rescued capybara. Deputy Joana Darc went to the scene, observed the animal and released false information that there were expired vaccines. The veterinary clinical protocol determines that wild animals are not immunized.
“The objective of Ibama after the technical evaluation is to return the capybara to nature, guaranteeing its well-being and compliance with the law.
“The Cetas work as units for the treatment and rehabilitation of animals that are victims of trafficking or have been rescued. Cetas-AM specializes in the rehabilitation and release of collared tamarins, a species that only occurs in Manaus and is threatened with extinction. It is delicate and long work. Movement of people on site, as occurred this Saturday, can jeopardize rehabilitation, delaying the process and causing unnecessary stress to animals that have already gone through a lot of suffering.
“Since January of this year, Ibama’s Cetas have returned to nature, after rehabilitation, 5,600 animals in the country. The work of these centers is fundamental for the protection of the Brazilian fauna and maintenance of the environmental balance.”
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