The military personnel from the Environmental Protection Service (SEPNA) of the Castelo Branco Territorial Command of the National Republican Guard (GNR) rescued a red squirrel (‘sciurus vulgaris’) on Thursday, August 21. The animal suffered burns from the fires devastating the Covilhã area.
In a communication sent to Notícias ao Minuto, the GNR stated that during a patrol operation amid forest fires in Covilhã, SEPNA members discovered the injured animal in a burned area in the Tortosendo parish and promptly rescued it.
After being collected, the animal was transported to the Center for Ecology, Recovery, and Surveillance of Wild Animals (CERVAS) in Castelo Branco “for monitoring of its health status, recovery, and subsequent release into its natural habitat.”
The GNR, through SEPNA, commits to the daily protection of animals, urging reports of potential mistreatment or abandonment cases. For this purpose, the SOS Environment and Territory Line (808 200 520), available 24/7, is used for reporting infractions or clarifying inquiries.
The recent fires hitting the interior regions have claimed three lives and injured several people, significantly impacting material goods and businesses, while also decimating much of the local wildlife and flora. Numerous individuals have shared cases on social media of animals injured or killed by the flames, while others search for new habitats with their natural environments destroyed.
