'Out of control' fires endanger wildlife in Brazilian wetlands
The Pantanal wetlands in western Brazil are famed as a paradise of biodiversity, but these days they have enormous clouds of smoke billowing over them, as raging wildfires reduce vast expanses to scorched earth.
Known for its lush landscapes and vibrant wildlife, including jaguars, caimans, macaws and monkeys, the Pantanal is home to the world's biggest tropical wetlands and, in normal times, a thriving ecotourism industry.
But in recent weeks it has been ravaged by fires that are threatening its iconic wildlife, as Brazil suffers through a southern hemisphere spring of droughts and record heat.
There were 2,387 fires in the Pantanal in the first 13 days of November, an increase of more than 1,000 percent from the entire month of November 2022, according to satellite monitoring by Brazilian space research agency INPE.
"The situation is completely out of control. And between the heat wave and the wind, it's only going to get worse," says biologist Gustavo Figueiroa, 31, head of the environmental group SOS Pantanal.
"The Pantanal is a region that's used to fires. Normally, it regenerates naturally. But this many fires isn't normal."
The Pantanal sits at the southern edge of the Amazon rainforest, stretching from Brazil into Bolivia and Paraguay across more than 170,000 square kilometers (65,000 square miles).
Smoke clouds billow over Brazil's Pantanal wetlands.