A pair of protective gloves for swab test are seen set up at new quarantine facilities for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases on a football pitch in Yangon, Myanmar, 16 September 2020.. REUTERS/Shee Paw Mya Tin

The entrance of the quarantine facilities for of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases is seen at a football pitch in Yangon, Myanmar, 16 September 2020.. REUTERS/Shee Paw Mya Tin

A general view of quarantine facilities for of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases on a football pitch in Yangon, Myanmar, 16 September 2020.. REUTERS/Shee Paw Mya Tin

A worker ensembles a tent inside the quarantine facilities for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases on a football pitch in Yangon, Myanmar, 16 September 2020. REUTERS/Shee Paw Mya Tin

A worker ensembles beds inside the quarantine facilities for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases on a football pitch in Yangon, Myanmar, 16 September 2020.. REUTERS/Shee Paw Mya Tin

A fire has been burning since mid-July in the remote wetlands of west-central Brazil, leaving in its wake a vast charred desolation bigger than New York City. A team of veterinarians, biologists and local guides arrived in late August to prowl the bumpy dirt road known as the Trans-Pantanal Highway in pickup trucks, looking to save what injured animals they could. Jaguars were wandering the blackened wasteland, they said, starving or going thirsty, with paws burnt to the bone, lungs blackened by smoke. They saw bodies of alligator-like caiman, jaws frozen in silent screams, the last act of creatures desperate to cool off before being consumed by flames. This massive fire is one of thousands of blazes sweeping the Brazilian Pantanal - the world's largest wetland - this year in what climate scientists fear could become a new normal, echoing the rise in climate-driven fires from California to Australia. The Pantanal is smaller and less-known than its famous cousin, the Amazon jungle. But the region's normally abundant waters and strategic location - sandwiched between the rainforest, Brazil's vast grasslands and Paraguay's dry forests - make it a magnet for animals. The fires are now threatening one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, biologists say. The Pantanal is home to roughly 1,200 vertebrate animal species, including 36 that are threatened with extinction. Across this usually lush landscape of 150,000 square kilometers (57,915 square miles) in Brazil, rare birds flutter and the world's densest population of jaguars roam. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY SEARCH "PANTANAL PEROBELLI" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES Matching text: CLIMATE-CHANGE/BRAZIL-PANTANAL

Men construct a barricade blocking off their street to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Yangon, Myanmar, September 12, 2020. REUTERS/Shwe Paw Mya Tin

People chat with a barricade between them blocking off their street to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Yangon, Myanmar, September 12, 2020. REUTERS/Shwe Paw Mya Tin

People walk past a makeshift barricade blocking off a street to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Yangon, Myanmar, September 12, 2020. REUTERS/Shwe Paw Mya Tin

A woman passes a package to a man behind a makeshift barricade, blocking off a street to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Yangon, Myanmar, September 12, 2020. REUTERS/Shwe Paw Mya Tin

Buddhist monk Ottamasara, the abbot of Thabarwa meditation center, works with recycled plastic bottles at Thabarwa in Thanlyin, Yangon in Myanmar, September 4, 2020. Picture taken September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Shew Paw Mya Tin

Buddhist monk Ottamasara, the abbot of Thabarwa meditation center, holds a recycled plastic bottle filled with plastic bags at Thabarwa in Thanlyin in Yangon, Myanmar, September 4, 2020. Picture taken September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Shew Paw Mya Tin

Buddhist monk Ottamasara, the abbot of Thabarwa meditation center, works to make a curtain with recycled plastic bottle filled with plastic bags at Thabarwa in Thanlyin in Yangon, Myanmar, September 4, 2020. Picture taken September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Shew Paw Mya Tin

Buddhist monk Ottamasara, the abbot of Thabarwa meditation center, collects alms placed into recycled plastic container in Yangon, Myanmar, September 4, 2020. Picture taken September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Shew Paw Mya Tin

Women clean recycled plastic bottles at Thabarwa meditation center in Thanlyin, Yangon in Myanmar, September 4, 2020. Picture taken September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Shew Paw Mya Tin

A woman waits outside his home to give recycled plastic to the Buddhist monk Ottamasara in Yangon, Myanmar, September 4, 2020. Picture taken September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Shew Paw Mya Tin

Recycled plastic bottles filled with plastic bags are seen at Thabarwa meditation center in Yangon, Myanmar, September 4, 2020. Picture taken September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Shew Paw Mya Tin

A woman gets ready to give alms in recycled plastic bottles to Buddhist monk Ottamasara, in Yangon, Myanmar, September 4, 2020. Picture taken September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Shew Paw Mya Tin

Buddhist nuns explain a woman about the process of recycling plastics in Yangon, Myanmar, September 4, 2020. Picture taken September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Shew Paw Mya Tin

Workers make a curtain with recycled bottles filled with plastic at Thabarwa meditation center in Yangon, Myanmar, September 4, 2020. Picture taken September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Shew Paw Mya Tin

Buddhist monk Ottamasara, the abbot of Thabarwa meditation center, poses for a photo with recycled plastic bottles at Thabarwa in Thanlyin, Yangon in Myanmar, September 4, 2020. Picture taken September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Shew Paw Mya Tin

Buddhist monk Ottamasara, the abbot of Thabarwa meditation center, collects alms placed into recycled plastic container in Yangon, Myanmar, September 4, 2020. Picture taken September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Shew Paw Mya Tin

Elderly and homeless people living at Thabarwa meditation center receive food collected by monks into recycled plastic containers in Yangon, Myanmar, September 4, 2020. Picture taken September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Shew Paw Mya Tin

A workers makes a curtain with recycled bottles filled with plastic at Thabarwa meditation center in Yangon, Myanmar, September 4, 2020. Picture taken September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Shew Paw Mya Tin

Buddhist monk Ottamasara, the abbot of Thabarwa meditation center, inspects workers making a curtain with recycled bottles filled with plastic bags at his center in Yangon, Myanmar, September 4, 2020. Picture taken September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Shew Paw Mya Tin

An anteater rests in a bathroom sink while receiving treatment at veterinarian of the state environmental police Marcelo Andreani's house, near Porto Velho, Rondonia State, Brazil, August 19, 2020. The anteater arrived with a broken left paw after a clash with a fierce porcupine. The patient had been found hiding in a garage and, again, the vets think it might have been fleeing fires as anteaters rarely turn up in the city. The fracture required surgery. Under anaesthetic, a giant tongue rolled out of the anteater's mouth, earning it the affectionate nickname Linguaruda, or Long-tongue. After surgery, one of the vets took Linguaruda home to keep a closer eye on her recovery. At one point, she climbed into the bathroom sink to rest. In five days, Linguaruda was strong enough to return to the wild - the best outcome her rescuers could wish for. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino SEARCH "BRAZIL ANIMALS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A recovered anteater is released in Amazon forest after receiving veterinary treatment by a veterinarian of the state environmental police Marcelo Andreani and the owner of the veterinary clinic Clinidog Carlos Henrique, near Porto Velho, Rondonia State, Brazil, August 19, 2020. The anteater arrived with a broken left paw after a clash with a fierce porcupine. The patient had been found hiding in a garage and, again, the vets think it might have been fleeing fires as anteaters rarely turn up in the city. The fracture required surgery. Under anaesthetic, a giant tongue rolled out of the anteater's mouth, earning it the affectionate nickname Linguaruda, or Long-tongue. After surgery, one of the vets took Linguaruda home to keep a closer eye on her recovery. In five days, Linguaruda was strong enough to return to the wild - the best outcome her rescuers could wish for. Linguaruda was freed near a forest trail, where it eagerly clambered among the trees once more. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino SEARCH "BRAZIL ANIMALS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

An anteater walks among shoes at veterinarian of the state environmental police Marcelo Andreani's house, where it's receiving treatment, near Porto Velho, Rondonia State, Brazil, August 19, 2020. The anteater arrived with a broken left paw after a clash with a fierce porcupine. The patient had been found hiding in a garage and, again, the vets think it might have been fleeing fires as anteaters rarely turn up in the city. The fracture required surgery. Under anaesthetic, a giant tongue rolled out of the anteater's mouth, earning it the affectionate nickname Linguaruda, or Long-tongue. After surgery, one of the vets took Linguaruda home to keep a closer eye on her recovery. In five days, Linguaruda was strong enough to return to the wild - the best outcome her rescuers could wish for. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino SEARCH "BRAZIL ANIMALS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Marcelo Andreani, 40, a veterinarian of the state environmental police, treats an Anteater at his house, near Porto Velho, Rondonia State, Brazil August 19, 2020. The anteater arrived with a broken left paw after a clash with a fierce porcupine. The patient had been found hiding in a garage and, again, the vets think it might have been fleeing fires as anteaters rarely turn up in the city. The fracture required surgery. Under anaesthetic, a giant tongue rolled out of the anteater's mouth, earning it the affectionate nickname Linguaruda, or Long-tongue. After surgery, one of the vets took Linguaruda home to keep a closer eye on her recovery. In five days, Linguaruda was strong enough to return to the wild - the best outcome her rescuers could wish for. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino SEARCH "BRAZIL ANIMALS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Amir Khalil, head of project development at FOUR PAWS International, (R) and Frank Goeritz, head of the veterinary service at Leibniz Institute for zoo and wildlife research in Berlin, take measurements of Kaavan, an elephant at the Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad, Pakistan, September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Saiyna Bashir

Amir Khalil, head of project development at FOUR PAWS International, sedates Kaavan, an elephant at the Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad, Pakistan, September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Saiyna Bashir

Amir Khalil, head of project development at FOUR PAWS International, sedates Kaavan, an elephant at the Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad, Pakistan, September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Saiyna Bashir

Frank Goeritz (L), head of the veterinary service at Leibniz Institute for zoo and wildlife research in Berlin, and Amir Khalil, head of project development at FOUR PAWS International, take blood sample of Kaavan, an elephant at the Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad, Pakistan, September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Saiyna Bashir

Amir Khalil, head of project development at FOUR PAWS International, (R) and Frank Goeritz, head of the veterinary service at Leibniz Institute for zoo and wildlife research in Berlin, use an anti-wound spay after drawing blood sample of Kaavan, an elephant at the Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad, Pakistan, September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Saiyna Bashir

Amir Khalil, head of project development at FOUR PAWS International, sedates Kaavan, an elephant at the Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad, Pakistan, September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Saiyna Bashir

Frank Goeritz (L), head of the veterinary service at Leibniz Institute for zoo and wildlife research in Berlin, and Amir Khalil, head of project development at FOUR PAWS International, take blood sample of Kaavan, an elephant at the Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad, Pakistan, September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Saiyna Bashir

Amir Khalil, head of project development at FOUR PAWS International, walks beside Kaavan, an elephant at the Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad, Pakistan, September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Saiyna Bashir

A member of the NGO Arcturos' holds the paw of a sedated brown bear cub at a bear sanctuary in the village of Nymfaio, near Florina, Greece May 2, 2020. Picture taken May 2, 2020. REUTERS/Giorgos Moutafis

A member of the NGO Arcturos' measures the paw of a sedated brown bear cub at a bear sanctuary in the village of Nymfaio, near Florina, Greece May 2, 2020. Picture taken May 2, 2020. REUTERS/Giorgos Moutafis

Wildlife veterinarians from Four Paws International and other volunteers undertake a medical examination on a malnourished lion inside its cage at the Al-Qureshi park in Khartoum, Sudan February 21, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

Wildlife veterinarians from Four Paws International and other volunteers undertake a medical examination on a malnourished lion inside its cage at the Al-Qureshi park in Khartoum, Sudan February 21, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

Wildlife veterinarians from Four Paws International and other volunteers undertake a medical examination on a malnourished lion inside its cage at the Al-Qureshi park in Khartoum, Sudan February 21, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Wildlife veterinarians from Four Paws International and other volunteers undertake a medical examination on a malnourished lion inside its cage at the Al-Qureshi park in Khartoum, Sudan February 21, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

Wildlife veterinarians from Four Paws International and other volunteers undertake a medical examination on a malnourished lion inside its cage at the Al-Qureshi park in Khartoum, Sudan February 21, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

Wildlife veterinarians from Four Paws International and other volunteers undertake a medical examination on a malnourished lion inside its cage at the Al-Qureshi park in Khartoum, Sudan February 21, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

Wildlife veterinarians from Four Paws International and other volunteers undertake a medical examination on a malnourished lion inside its cage at the Al-Qureshi park in Khartoum, Sudan February 21, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

A recovering malnourished lioness stands inside its cage after a medical examination by wildlife veterinarians from Four Paws International at the Al-Qureshi park in Khartoum, Sudan February 21, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

A recovering malnourished lioness is seen inside its cage after a medical examination by wildlife veterinarians from Four Paws International at the Al-Qureshi park in Khartoum, Sudan February 21, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

Wildlife veterinarians from Four Paws International and other volunteers treat a malnourished lion inside its cage at the Al-Qureshi park in Khartoum, Sudan January 28, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

Wildlife veterinarians from Four Paws International and other volunteers treat a malnourished lion inside its cage at the Al-Qureshi park in Khartoum, Sudan January 28, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

Wildlife veterinarians from Four Paws International and other volunteers treat a malnourished lion inside its cage at the Al-Qureshi park in Khartoum, Sudan January 28, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

Wildlife veterinarians from Four Paws International and other volunteers treat a malnourished lion inside its cage at the Al-Qureshi park in Khartoum, Sudan January 28, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

Veterinarians bandage the injured paws of a koala at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, at the Wildlife Emergency Response Centre in Parndana, Kangaroo Island, Australia January 19, 2020. REUTERS/Tracey Nearmy

An injured koala with a bandaged paw is seen at the emergency response wildlife shelter in Mallacoota, Victoria, Australia January 10, 2020. Picture taken January 10, 2020. REUTERS/Tracey Nearmy

A burnt paw of a brushtail possum is pictured as it is nursed by WIRES volunteers in Merimbula, Australia January 9, 2020. REUTERS/Tracey Nearmy TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A burnt paw of a brushtail possum is pictured as it is nursed by WIRES volunteers in Merimbula, Australia January 9, 2020. REUTERS/Tracey Nearmy

Burnt paws of a brushtail possum are pictured as it is nursed by WIRES volunteers in Merimbula, Australia January 9, 2020. REUTERS/Tracey Nearmy

A brushtail possum with burnt paws is nursed by WIRES volunteer Baron Green in Merimbula, Australia January 9, 2020. REUTERS/Tracey Nearmy