IN PICS | 200 jaguars, other animals feared dead in Brazil tropical wetland fires, rescue operations continue

A vast swath of a vital wetlands is burning in Brazil, sweeping across several national parks and obscuring the sun behind dense smoke.

A vast swath of a vital wetlands is burning in Brazil, sweeping across several national parks and obscuring the sun behind dense smoke. IN PIC: A jaguar lays near an area recently scorched by wildfires. (Photo | AP) 

The Pantanal wetlands holds thousands of plant and animal species, including 159 mammals, according to the World Wildlife Fund. (Photo | AP)

During the rainy season, rivers overflow their banks flood the land, making most of it accessible only by boat and plane. In the dry season, wildlife enthusiasts flock to see the normally furtive jaguars lounging on riverbanks, along with macaws, caimans and capybaras. (Photo | AP)

Firefighters, troops and volunteers have been scrambling to find and rescue jaguars and other animals before they are overtaken by the flames, which have been exacerbated by the worst drought in 47 years, strong winds and temperatures exceeding 40 degrees. IN PIC: Veterinarians treat an injured bird rescued from an area affected by the fires. (Photo | AP)

About 200 jaguars in the area already have been injured, killed or forced from their territories by thew fires, according to Panthera, an international wild cat conservation organization. (Photo | AP)

Preliminary figures from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, based on satellite images, indicate that nearly 5,800 square miles (1.5 million hectares) have burned in the Pantanal region since the start of August. (Photo | AP)

Vultures stand next to the carcass of a alligator on the banks of the Cuiaba river. (Photo | AP)

Birds fly past as a fire consumes an area next to the Transpantaneira road at the Pantanal wetlands near Pocone, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. (Photo | AP)

An otter eats a fish at the Encontro das Aguas park at the Pantanal wetlands near Pocone, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. (Photo | AP)