Cuiabá Mayor Abilio Brunini Reassigns Animal Welfare Official Amid Zoonoses Center Scandal

Cuiabá Mayor Abilio Brunini (PL) transferred Maria Thereza Bonfim Ens, known as Morgana, from the Adjunct Secretary of Animal Welfare to the Adjacent Secretary of Culture. The move was formalized on 31 May, days after videos released by the Organização de Proteção Animal de Mato Grosso (OPA‑MT) showed live dogs sharing a space where dead animals were found at the city’s Centro de Controle de Zoonoses (CCZ). Brunini said the dogs were being isolated as an emergency response to a suspected canine distemper outbreak and suggested the facility may have been sabotaged when its electricity was cut. Thirteen dogs were held in the area, three of which later died from the disease. The OPA‑MT asked Politec to investigate the deaths and possible mistreatment, while the Civil Police will also conduct a probe. No official explanation for Morgana’s reassignment was provided in the municipal gazette.