At least 38 pets died in a flooded store in Porto Alegre; the company must provide information about reports of mistreatment
A Civil Police of Rio Grande do Sul reported this Friday (May 24, 2024) to Power360 that employees of a Cobasi pet shop in Porto Alegre (RS) saved some of the electronic devices in the space before leaving the place that was flooding, but left the animals underground. The pets died submerged in the flood that has hit the capital of Rio Grande do Sul since the beginning of the month.
According to Samieh Saleh, Environment delegate, those responsible for commerce removed 4 CPUs (Central Processing Units) from computers, a bill issuing machine and two card machines from the basement before leaving the space. All the material was found by the investigation on the mezzanine of the pet shop.
The 2-story establishment is located in the basement of a shopping mall in the Praia de Belas neighborhood and was evacuated on May 3, when the waters of the Guaíba flooded the region. The Civil Police carried out an inspection of the store’s basement on Thursday (May 23, 2024), when they found at least 38 dead birds, rodents and fish in the store.
O Ibama (Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) also participated in the visit.
Watch footage of the store’s wreckage (3min12s):
REPORTING ABUSE
Second note from Ibama, Cobasi was notified to provide information on reports of animal abuse until this Friday (May 24th) due to the abandonment of pets on site.
Those responsible for the establishment will respond to an administrative process to investigate an environmental infraction.
In total, two Cobasi units were flooded in the city and are being investigated by the Porto Alegre Environmental Police for animal abuse. The 2nd establishment is on Avenida Assis Brasil. The police did not say whether there were any dead animals at that location.
In a statement, Cobasi said that the store had to be evacuated in a “emergency” and that employees took “all arrangements” to leave the animals at a safe height until employees return. He also said that the decisions were taken before “any indication of the magnitude of the disaster” in the city.
Read the full statement from Cobasi:
“Cobasi clarifies that its store in the Praia de Belas shopping center had to be evacuated in an emergency on Friday, May 3rd, following the guidelines of the authorities. As there was no indication of the magnitude of the disaster that struck the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the store’s employees took all measures to ensure that the birds, small rodents and fish were at a safe height and fed for their survival until the return of the animals. employees which, based on the official information available at that time, should occur within a short space of time.
“Everything was placed above one meter high in the same room. Unfortunately, the ingress of water on Saturday night (May 4th) and in the early hours of Sunday (May 5th) reached 3.5 meters high, reaching the ceiling of the store, far exceeding the sandbag barrier placed at the store door, by mall employees. It is worth noting that only the 4 CPUs for the store’s checkouts were taken to the upper floor, as they were 20 centimeters from the floor, a place that was next to the cashiers’ feet, but all other equipment related to checkouts remained in their original positions. (over 1 meter in height) such as: monitors, keyboards, tax receipt printers, pin pad keyboards (for credit/debit cards) and product barcode readers. Many other computers and equipment also present in the same flooded room, were not removed from their original positions, and were damaged by the water and mud that invaded the store. This is how the store management understood that it would not be at risk of flooding, as it was stabilized until 6:30 pm on Saturday, May 4th, according to a shopping center employee. All of this report above will be confirmed and proven in the records.
“Unfortunately, the scale of the weather event in the region was so devastating that it caused unprecedented flooding in the shopping center and led to the loss of life of small rodents, birds and fish that were in the store. It is important to note that there were no dogs or cats in the establishment. The flood also led to the destruction of almost all of the store’s main equipment and product stock.
“Cobasi deeply regrets what happened. The company also emphasizes that it is cooperating with the investigations carried out by the authorities and that it will confirm all the information reported above in the files.
“For over 25 years, Cobasi has worked in partnership with animal protection NGOs, having been a pioneer in the sector in establishing these links, and fights to guarantee the quality of life of all pets, regardless of species. Since the situation worsened in Rio Grande do Sul, Cobasi donated 20 tons of cat food and 4.8 tons of cat litter to partner NGOs and rescue groups that are working there. In collaboration with other institutions, more than 500 beds were sent, as well as boxes and transport bags, surgical clothes, snacks, clothes, blankets, mattresses, flea and deworming products, as well as 4 trailers containing mineral water, more than 400 basic food baskets, mattress and blankets. The company also contributed to the construction of an emergency shelter for 200 animals in a local shopping mall. Additionally, 14 stores in Rio Grande do Sul are collecting items for pets and delivering them to partner NGOs operating in the region. Furthermore, 24 stores in the state of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasília are collecting, in addition to items for pets, water, hygiene and beauty products, underwear, bedding, mattresses, diapers and powdered milk for children. affected people.”
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