Brazilian horse stranded on a roof by floods is rescued after stirring the nation

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

About 24 hours after he was first spotted and with people clamoring for his rescue, a team in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul on Thursday successfully removed Caramelo, providing a dose of hope to a beleaguered region.

The brown horse had been balancing for days on two narrow strips of slippery asbestos in Canoas, a city in the Porto Alegre metropolitan area that is one of the most affected areas of the state, much of which has been isolated by flooding.

“We found the animal in a weakened state,” said Capt. Tiago Franco, a Sao Paulo firefighter deployed to lead the rescue, was cited in a statement from that state’s security secretariat. “We try to approach it calmly.”

Firefighters and veterinarians climbed onto the nearly submerged roof, sedated and immobilized the horse, then placed it, all 770 pounds, on an inflatable raft. Four inflatable boats and four support boats participated in the operation, with firefighters, soldiers and other volunteers.

The rescue was broadcast live by television networks that filmed from their helicopters. Social media influencer Felipe Neto sent updates to his nearly 17 million followers on X while the rescue was underway. Later he offered to adopt him.

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

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

Caramelo is recovering at a university-affiliated veterinary hospital.

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

He is about 7 years old and, due to his characteristics, he was probably used as a draft animal for a cart, Bruno Schmitz, one of the veterinarians who helped rescue and evaluate Caramelo, later told the GloboNews television network. He’s also very kind, Schmitz added, which helped a lot with administering sedatives.

“It was a very difficult operation, far beyond the standards even for specialized teams. I don’t think they’ve ever been through something like this before, but thank God everything turned out well,” he said and then showed Caramelo standing up.

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

Animal protection groups and volunteers have been sharing images of difficult rescues and heartwarming scenes of pets reuniting with their owners on social media. A video that went viral shows a man crying inside a boat, hugging his four dogs after rescuers returned to his house to save them.

Heavy rains and flooding in Rio Grande do Sul have killed at least 107 people. Another 136 are missing and more than 230,000 have been displaced, according to state authorities. There is no official count of the number of animals that have been killed or are missing, but local media have estimated the number to be in the thousands.

Not far from where Caramelo was rescued, pet owners in Canoas celebrated as they waited in line for donations at a makeshift animal shelter organized by volunteers.

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

Carla Sassi, president of Grad, a Brazilian nonprofit that rescues animals after disasters, said she will meet with state government officials in Canoas to discuss emergency measures to rescue pets.

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Sá Pessoa reported from São Paulo.