The latest inspections at the Instituto Onça-Pintada, in Goiás, did not identify problems in the conservationist breeding grounds, said Semad (State Secretariat for the Environment and Sustainable Development) in a statement.
In June, the institute was fined R$ 452,500 by Ibama, as a result of the deaths of 72 animals, the exposure of wild animals and the lack of security for the beings cared for there.
Sought by the report, Semad states that it has carried out three inspections in the last two years and, on no occasion, has identified facts that corroborate what is described by the federal agents. “And more: on all occasions, structured enclosures were verified, with superior capacity when compared to other projects (size, availability of water for drinking water, baths, fences, perches, etc.)”, says the secretary.
Semad also says that it has not received information from Ibama about the inspection carried out at the institute. The secretariat points out that the state received the authority to license the entity in 2018. Before that, Ibama granted authorizations for the institute.
“Thus, all the installations, except for those that underwent significant improvement, were evaluated by Ibama itself. And it is strange that only seven years after the authorization was issued, the federal agency, without competence for licensing, comes to carry out such inspection, without any communication. with Semad”, says the secretary, in a note. “In the same way, it is worth noting that part of the reported deaths occurred when the management of the breeding was carried out by Ibama.”
Regarding the exhibition of animals, Semad says that the matter is pacified and that it is understood that “the use of the image does not cause any environmental damage, does not generate embarrassment or suffering to the animals, and if it is done with an educational, informative character, it must be encouraged”.
