Maria, a capuchin monkey, was shot in the spine while taking an afternoon stroll in a wealthy Rio neighbourhood, leaving her paralysed from the abdomen down. She was taken to the Instituto Vida Livre wildlife hospital, where director Roched Seba said her case reflects the city's dual reality of rich biodiversity and rampant gun crime.
Veterinarian Lucas Rebelo recalled Maria's severe pain upon arrival. The institute has treated dozens of shot animals, including a mantled hawk that will never fly again after being hit in the wing. According to Fogo Cruzado, a group tracking gun violence, at least 69 animals have been shot in Rio over the past decade, though the true number is likely far higher.
Recent cases include a puppy shot in the chest during an exchange between police and traffickers, a horse wounded in a police raid, and a dog deliberately shot by criminals irritated by its bark. Seba noted that vultures and owls are also targeted due to superstitions. He blamed the 'banalisation' of gun ownership under former President Jair Bolsonaro for putting animals in the line of fire.
The institute has helped more than 15,000 animals since its creation a decade ago. Maria remains stable but with a grim outlook; she is medicated and not in pain, but the bullet lodged in her spinal cord has left her permanently paralysed.
