The
name of the Olympic mascot pays tribute to Brazilian musician Vinicius de
Moraes. Vinicius is a mix of different Brazilian animals. His design takes
inspiration from pop culture, as well as video game and animation characters.
Alongside his Paralympic Games colleague, Vinicius represents the diversity of
the Brazilian people and culture, as well as its exuberant nature.
Now to
the news ~ an Amazon jaguar has been shot dead by the
Brazilian army after participating as a 'mascot' for an Olympic torch ceremony
in Manaus. During the event the female jaguar - called Juma - was just yards
away from the lighting of the Olympic torch, where she was held by a chain
around her neck. Following
the event she was taken to her zoo cage on a truck but managed to escape. A
team of vets tried to recapture Juma by firing tranquilizers but they failed to
take immediate effect and she reportedly came close to attacking a soldier. The
Amazon Military Command - whose symbol is a jaguar - said the animal was shot
as a 'safety procedure' to 'protect the soldier'.
The incident happened yesterday after the Olympic torch passed through the jungle city, where England played Italy in the 2014 World Cup. Juma was a jaguar at CIGS zoo, which is part of the army's jungle warfare-training center and where many of the animals have been captured by soldiers on patrol. A guest who attended the event said: 'The jaguar was in a secluded spot, but everyone took pictures with her. 'When the event was over, Juma was taken to her cage, which was in a truck. It was then she ran away.'
A
statement issued by Brazil's Amazon Military Command said: 'Efforts were made
to capture the animal by firing tranquilizers. But even though the animal was
hit, it still advanced towards a soldier that was stationed nearby. 'As a
safety procedure and aiming to protect the soldier and the handlers, a pistol
was used to shoot the animal. She died at the scene.' An inquiry has now been
launched by the Amazon Institute of Environmental who said it had not given
permission for Juma to be used at the event.
It
had given permission for another jaguar, Simba, to go show at the event. She
was held elsewhere on the courtyard by members of the army. A spokesman for the agency said the Brazilian
army had been asked for an official explanation into the death of Juma and the
reason she was 'exposed to the Olympic torch event without authorisation'. If
the army is found to have breached environmental regulations it could be fined
between £600 and £60,000. The shooting of the jaguar was immediately met by an
outpouring of anger on social media, with people accusing the army of acting
'irresponsibly' and incompetently'.
The
jaguar is already an endangered species in the Americas, with a 30 per cent
reduction over the same number of years. .. meanwhile, humans are engrossed in
ceremonies !!
With regards
– S. Sampathkumar
22nd June 2016.
