In six surveys along the Canal de la Patria we recorded 207 drowned animals
While tracking the Chaco Eagle in Santiago del Estero, we found a concrete canal that wildlife falls into and cannot get out of. We surveyed it between October 2023 and February 2024 to document it.
The canal walls stop animals from getting out
The Canal de la Patria is an open, concrete-lined canal that crosses the Dry Chaco in Santiago del Estero. Its walls are smooth and sloping and the water flows. Animals that go down to drink or try to cross fall in and drown.
The canal also splits the forest. Wildlife populations on each side are cut off from each other, an effect that over time can be as serious as the deaths.
The 207 records are wildlife only and are a minimum: the current carries bodies away and the canal is not surveyed every day. Including domestic animals, we recorded more than 250.
The Giant Anteater is the most affected species
Of the 35 species recorded, six are of conservation concern. The most affected is this threatened species, which has one of its last large populations in the Chaco.
It is a heavy animal with short legs and long claws. It can swim, but it cannot climb a wet, sloping concrete wall.
Records fell between the first and the last survey
We read this as a sign that there is less wildlife around the canal.
The published study describes it as a large-scale loss of wildlife, in one of the most deforested regions of the continent.
Piping the canal would prevent the deaths
Piping the canal would keep animals from falling into the water and would stop it splitting the forest. This is the technical recommendation of the published study.
So far, ladders and locks have been installed at some points along the canal. They are not enough for animals to get out.
The case is before the Supreme Court
In December 2024, through Resolution 53/24, the Defensoría del Pueblo de la Nación (National Ombudsman) formally required the national and provincial governments to modify the infrastructure urgently and to commission an external, independent environmental assessment. It also noted irregularities in the environmental impact procedure that authorised the works.
With no response, Aves Argentinas, Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina and Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN) filed an environmental damage lawsuit before the Corte Suprema de Justicia de la Nación against the national government and the province of Santiago del Estero.
The Procuración General de la Nación (Attorney General's Office) issued an opinion that the case should be heard directly by the Court. The case file is under review.
If you see an animal in the canal, let us know
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