Discover Brazil's Wild Wonderland





This is a local news segment (in Portuguese) showing some of what's to be seen in an around the town of Poconé in Mato Grosso. This is a town of 30,000 people and is the gateway to the North Pantanal. The segment starts in the museum at Poconé (open Mon-Fri) showing devices that teachers used to use for slapping the palms of children who misbehaved or couldn't do their sums.

The reporter then travels along the MT-370 visiting the SESC Porto Cercado Hotel. This is a research and education centre which doubles as a tourist hotel. It runs runs Pantanal tours, photo safaris, and education programmes - with focuses on sustainable development, environmental preservation, and supporting the local community. A highlight of CESC is its butterfly house containing around 1500 butterflies of various local species. Aside from providing an attraction to visitors, it provides an income for local families who are paid by the hotel to raise and care for the insects.

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