You know you are in Brazil when the city’s animal control department is rounding up hogs and horses from the streets.
I recently saw this item on Niterói’s municipal website (yes, I read their website). It seems there is an effort afoot to “clean up” the streets of large animals grazing along the edges of neighborhoods. The animals have owners, but the owners let them wander about to feed on grasses, etc.
On several occasions I have been on an urban bus in Central Niterói and have seen huge hogs lumbering about in public squares, presumably eating. The animals typically belong to poorer families living up on the hill that let them loose at night to fend for food. It is a real sight, let me tell you; unexpected. Niterói is a dense urban area – not a rural town.
In the case of this report from the City, seven horses and two pigs were recently rounded up. They will be held on a nearby farm for 10 days awaiting their owner’s arrival to reclaim them (including paying a fee). Then I suppose the owner will have to confirm they have more appropriate plans for the animals in the future.
The campaign to round up “stray” animals is meant to help avoid traffic accidents.
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7 comments:
I have seen Horses in Brazilian cities and irritates me to no end, it usually blocks the traffic and the animals suffer like hell, never seen hogs though, that would be exotic. I guess it's all these poor migrant people flocking to Niteroi who broght them. I am glad they have a system to remove these animals from the street.
This post reminds me of the "Miami Chicken Police", they capture about 100 chickens roaming freely in the streets of Miami every single day, it's mostly due to Haitian immigrants that raise chickens loose in their backyards and some always escape. :)
Ray
Can I just say that this shocks me everytime I see it, and I live in Jacarepagua, which was formerly farm land (which I guess supposedly makes it more normal?)
But when I see hogs, horses and wild dogs eating from a pile of garbage right before the onramp to the highway, all I can do is shake my head.
Also, when people ride their horses ON THE HIGHWAY....head shake.
You know you are in Brazil when...
The only time I have ever seen a horse and buggy was when I went to Pennsylvania and saw the Amish people.
was driving downtown in BH about 6 months ago while visiting a freind and all of a sudden there were about 6 large cows in the middle of the road. this is a big city! it was about 11:30pm but still...so strange...i live in a countryside city (which is still a city) and there are plenty of horses in the streets (but with riders) so i guess that's pretty normal.
OH MY!
On our way out of Ouro Preto, we did have to avoid cows in the road. I felt like I was in India.
By my house is a huge farm and it's next to the on ramp of anhanguera (major Sp hwy). I went to get on the ramp and all the cows were left out just standing on the street that takes you to the ramp. It's a really busy street.
Horses are left everywhere in Paulinia. But dogs are the worst. We have this one dog that attacks ricardo every morning and the city won't do anything. And our house is by a childern's bus stop.
I saw a video of a horse being hit on the hwy of Rio de janeiro at a very high speed. It was the saddest thing ever.
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