MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina: “Not penguins, dogs” covered in oil on Comodoro Rivadavia beach go viral

The problem of oiled dogs is not new but social media have helped raise awareness on the subject

Dogs covered in oil have appeared on the Comodoro Rivadavia beach in the Argentine province of Chubut, it was reported. Local residents insist poorly sealed oil wells are the reason for the environmental tragedy but say the problem is not new.

Pictures of dogs bathed in a black, slimy substance have gone viral over the past few days. These images have reportedly been taken at the Comodoro Rivadavia beaches.

“Not penguins oiled dogs ... ,” environmentalist Enrique Viale insisted on his Twitter account, as he denounced “oil operators looked the other way.”

The website TN has quoted a Comodoro Rivadavia source saying “the appearance of oily dogs in our city has always been going on“ but it gained notoriety thanks ”to social media with postings asking for help to save these animals.”

Regarding the reason why dogs appear covered in oil, TN's unnamed source explained that “in Comodoro Rivadavia there are 4000 oil wells that are not well sealed, and on top of that some of these wells are in the middle of the city.”

TN's source also explained the problem went beyond dogs. “In Comodoro Rivadavia it is an open secret that no one takes water from the tap because of the wells that are not sealed. The oil companies do terrible environmental damage,” said the source who also called for tighter controls on the part of local, provincial and federal authorities.

Comodoro Rivadavia's City Council said it did not take any action “because there was no official complaint,” according to Environment Undersecretary Daniel González said in a radio interview. “People usually convey all these issues through Facebook but never make a complaint through an official channel,” he added as he recalled people can always dial 103 to report these matters.

“Facebook is not an official means of communication. But now that we are aware of this case, our people are already leaving for the site,” the City Hall official said. (Source TN)