Two jaguars invade a park and kill 172 flamingos in Brazil

• The Pantanal Fires in Brazil destroy South America's main jaguar sanctuary

Two of the jaguars that live in the

, the natural reserve that surrounds the famous Iguazú Falls in

invaded the neighboring

at dawn this Tuesday

and caused the death of 172 of the 176 flamingos that they were kept in this zoo.

"Today is a very difficult day for the family of the Bird Park. It is with great regret that we announce the loss of 172 flamingos that lived with us," confirmed in a statement the administration of the institution that is a world reference in both reproduction of the African flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) and the Chilean flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis).

According to the note, the attack was perpetrated by

who is learning to hunt.

These are two jaguars that, despite living free in the natural reserve in the extreme south of Brazil and bordering

, are monitored and even identified as

.

The two cats managed to reach the enclosure where the flamingos live inside the Bird Park despite the protection bars and surveillance cameras, and their attack was only discovered on the morning of this Tuesday.

"Not all the animals died from the direct encounter with the jaguars.

, a phenomenon known as capture myopathy. Only 4 flamingos survived," the note adds.

The administration of the Bird Park declared a three-day mourning and announced that it will only reopen its doors next Friday.

The institution, the only one in the world dedicated to the conservation of the birds of the so-called

and which occupies 16 hectares of a wooded area, has about 1,500 birds of 150 different species and, with about 830,000 visitors per year, is the second greatest attraction of the city of

, after the falls.

The park became a world reference in the captive reproduction of flamingos after the birth of the first young in 2001 from 16 specimens that arrived from

in 1995.

"This scar will remain forever in the history of the Park, but we trust that we will restart the colony of flamingos and a new history," the statement concludes.

The attack by the felines had wide repercussions on social networks, with several negative comments, which led the

to release a statement in defense of the animals.

"What happened was fatal. We have received many comments about the behavior of jaguars, some with very negative connotations, but jaguars are wild animals, carnivores, excellent predators. They hunt and feed on other animals. They are not cruel. So they are only jaguars, "says the note.

The organization added that visiting the region's attractions is safe because jaguars move away from people and seek refuge in the forest, and clarified that in the Iguazú National Park there is only a record of

living in the 185,000 hectares of the reserve.

"In the entire Atlantic Forest there are only

. We have a critically endangered population that was almost extinct in the 1990s but which, after much effort and dedication by conservationists, has been recovering," he added.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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