Stories of Paraná - Revenge of Oz

Stories of Paraná - Revenge of Oz

Revenge of Oz
Luiz Cláudio Mehl

The colony Murici is very close to Curitiba, and even more so the coastal Serra do Mar.
Predominantly occupied by Polish farmers, there is the Capital procures potatoes, fruits and vegetables.
And also its forests which is largely extracted from wood that fuels the potteries curitibanas.
Potters were among the Children of Henry Mehl, who had a Fazendola there.
Well, in the early 70 farmers of the region were extremely concerned about the
disappearance of many cattle.
Some information said it would be about 50, others spoke in a hundred, and had to speak up about it
200 head of cattle had already gone.
Exaggerations aside, one thing there was no doubt: the bones found showed that it was a cat, and large, responsible for the damage.
Hence why Julius Light chacreiro of Mehl, invited his friend Alcindo de Melo, recognized as Emeritus hunter, to seek the mysterious toggle chain.
The two hunters, aided by two bloodhounds and the bullets of a "Winchester 16", the animal slaughtered after two weeks of pursuit. The mystery unraveled was two feet long and about 20 years old.
To prove the truth of the deed, the hunters put the animal's body in a pickup truck and were run newspapers Curitiba, displaying the trophy.
The headlines the next day were bombastic: "Ounce dead already killed over a hundred," identified "Gazeta do Povo", "ounce shot dead", registered the "Tribuna do Paraná". The news reached the Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the Journal of the stamped photo of the animal with the headline "Killer Oz."
Meanwhile, Mehl was fined a thousand cruises Defense Institute of Natural Heritage for lack of license to kill the animal. And then were reported to pay another 150 cruises fines for violations of the code hunting forest, prohibiting hunting out of season.
Until then killed themselves ounces with impunity as if through a stop signal at three o'clock in the morning and no guards around.
This time, however, the reaction was not only in fines. Public opinion was divided regarding subject and gained air discussion.
Did not, of course, who would posture the benefit of hunters, as the gossip columnist Charles Jung, in "The State Government", which ironically warned prospective hunters ounce to not forget to tie them before throwing, running thence, in Curitiba, draw the appropriate licenses.
It also recommended the need to warn ounce for not showing up on farms outside of hunting season.
Ironies aside, the first apprentice ecologists shouted from north to south in defense of Brazilian fauna, rare thing to hear those times.
Was starting a new era in the country, was the defense of the environment.
Better than anyone, "Journal of Brazil", in Rio de Janeiro, captured what was beginning to happen from the killing of an ounce in Paraná. The newspaper devoted to the subject an editorial entitled "Revenge of Oz", who noticed: "... after death, the jaguar took revenge farmer who killed her ..." And he concluded: "When the farmer left the consolation honor of attending the opening chapter of a history of struggle for the preservation of the natural heritage of our country."

Luiz Cláudio Mehl, Civil Engineer


Source: Stories of Paraná, Brasil.