In the past 15 years the Amazon rainforest has become a cause of sometimes passionate concern, both inside and outside Brazil. The Pantanal, however, is much less famous, even though most tourists say it provides better opportunities for seeing alligators, armadillos and jaguars than anywhere in the Amazon.

But it too appears to be in some danger. The governments of the South American Common Market, Mercosaur, want to boost trade by building a navigable inland waterway.

Construction has not started yet, but environmentalists say the waterway, which would follow the course of the Paraguay River through the middle of the Pantanal, could cause immense damage to the eco-system of the swamp.

A second and more immediate threat to the animals of the Pantanal is being posed by Brazilian drivers. A recent report by a group of scientists says that hundreds of animals, including alligators and anteaters, are being run over every year along the main highway through the Pantanal.

The road is of course extremely important to the people of the region, who depend on it for access to the outside world during the rainy season, but the scientists suggest that fences, tunnels and better traffic policing would greatly contribute to ending the slaughter. At the moment, they say, the animals who benefit the most are the vultures which hover hopefully overhead, ready to capitalise on the misfortune of their fellow creatures.