Severe Drought Threatens Caimans in Paraguay's Pilcomayo River
A severe drought in Paraguay’s western Chaco Boreal region threatens the lives of wildlife, including caimans, who depend on water from the Pilcomayo river.
The first video, shot on June 11, shows caimans stranded in mud or swimming in fetid water at the base of the Pilcomayo. Two weeks later, the same user shot the other two videos showing the same area even drier, with most of the animals already dead.
The videos were extensively shared on social media in Paraguay and brought attention to the natural disaster. AP reported that a massive flood that diverted the course of the Pilcomayo river into Argentina earlier this year was the cause of the drought. The government of Paraguay announced that it will investigate a detour in the river that could have caused the ambiental crisis.
The Pilcomayo flows from the Andean foothills in Bolivia into Paraguay and flows along the Argentinian border. Paraguay’s environment ministry said in a Facebook post on Wednesday it had begun digging artesian wells and delivering water via tanker to help wildlife affected by the drought. Credit: Oscar Gonzalez
