PASO DE LA PATRIA, Argentina: Wildfires in Argentina’s north are forcing local species of wildlife including capybaras, marsh deer and anteaters to attempt to flee ahead of the flames, with many animals killed or injured while trying to escape as the fires spread.
The blazes in Corrientes province, which borders Paraguay, have burned through nearly 900,000 hectares of forest and pasture land, some 12 percent of the region, including destroying habitats in the biodiverse Iberá Park wetlands.
“There are sectors of the Iberá where animals have been trapped,” said Sofía Heinonen, executive director of Rewilding Argentina, a foundation that works to protect at-risk species.
“They usually have water as a refuge area, they always have the mountains, but in this case the extraordinary recent drought has caused many of the ravines, many of the lagoons and a large part of the mountains to be dry,” Heinonen said.
Images show alligators, capybaras and marsh deer fleeing from the fire, with some burned. Heinonen said the foundation, which has reintroduced animals to the wild in Iberá, had found jaguars and bird species alive and brought them back to its centers.
Amid prolonged periods of drought, firefighters have been battling the blazes for some two months, which have caused millions of dollars of damage to ranch lands and farming business as well as putting plant and animal life at risk.
“Many animals fleeing from the fire are hit by vehicles, others are burned or have respiratory problems,” said Eric Pelozo, in charge of rehabilitation at the Aguará Conservation Center, which is helping care for animals from Ibera.
He said some species like capybaras and deer were faster, helping them escape, while snakes and anteaters were more at risk. Many animals, he added, would have “nowhere to return once the fire is over.”
“We are just beginning with the hard work of what is the rescue of animals burned or injured, both directly or indirectly by the effects of the fire,” he said.
Heinonen, a biologist, said rains would eventually help restore the land, with grasslands recovering faster while huge swathes of burned forests would take far longer.
A United Nations report this week said the number of extreme wildfires is expected to rise 30 percent within the next 28 years, with climate change triggering droughts and farmers clearing forests, something Heinonen agreed was hitting Corrientes.
“What’s happening now is extraordinary,” said Heinonen, citing the impact of climate patterns like La Niña, which usually leads to lower rainfall in key parts of the South American country.
“We are facing an event of great dimensions never seen before and we understand that it is due to the global warming that the planet is suffering,” she added.
Capybaras, marsh deer, anteaters flee Argentina wildfires; many don’t escape
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Capybaras, marsh deer, anteaters flee Argentina wildfires; many don’t escape
- "There are sectors of the Iberá where animals have been trapped," said Sofía Heinonen, executive director of Rewilding Argentina
- Images show alligators, capybaras and marsh deer fleeing from the fire, with some burned
Some Warren Buffett wisdom on his last day leading Berkshire Hathaway
OMAHA, Nebraska: The advice that legendary investor Warren Buffett offered on investing and life over the years helped earn him legions of followers who eagerly read his annual letters and filled an arena in Omaha every year to listen to him at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meetings.
Buffett’s last day as CEO is Wednesday after six decades of building up the Berkshire conglomerate. He’ll remain chairman, but Greg Abel will take over leadership.
Here’s a collection of some of Buffett’s most famous quotes from over the years:
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“Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful.”
That’s how Buffett summed up his investing approach of buying out-of-favor stocks and companies when they were selling for less than he estimated they were worth.
He also urged investors to stick with industries they understand that fall within their “circle of competence” and offered this classic maxim: “Rule No. 1: Never lose money. Rule No. 2: Never forget Rule No. 1.”
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“After they first obey all rules, I then want employees to ask themselves whether they are willing to have any contemplated act appear the next day on the front page of their local paper to be read by their spouses, children and friends with the reporting done by an informed and critical reporter.
“If they follow this test, they need not fear my other message to them: Lose money for the firm and I will be understanding; lose a shred of reputation for the firm and I will be ruthless.”
That’s the ethical standard Buffett explained to a Congressional committee in 1991 that he would apply as he cleaned up the Wall Street investment firm Salomon Brothers. He has reiterated the newspaper test many times since over the years.
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“You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.”
Many companies might do well when times are good and the economy is growing, but Buffett told investors that a crisis always reveals whether businesses are making sound decisions.
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“Who you associate with is just enormously important. Don’t expect that you’ll make every decision right on that. But you are going to have your life progress in the general direction of the people you work with, that you admire, that become your friends.”
Buffett always told young people that they should try to hang out with people who they feel are better than them because that will help improve their lives. He said that’s especially true when choosing a spouse, which might be the most important decision in life.
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“Our unwavering conclusion: never bet against America.”
Buffett has always remained steadfast in his belief in the American capitalist system. He wrote in 2021 that “there has been no incubator for unleashing human potential like America. Despite some severe interruptions, our country’s economic progress has been breathtaking.”
