Indigenous icon Raoni undergoes surgery, fervent defender of Amazon rainforest

SAO PAULO, June 21 — Brazilian Indigenous leader Raoni Metuktire, a celebrated defender of the Amazon rainforest, underwent surgery Saturday for an intestinal obstruction and was recovering in intensive care, a Sao Paulo hospital said.

Raoni, who is over 90 years old, was admitted to the University of Sao Paulo Hospital on Friday suffering from “intestinal obstruction, dehydration, and aspiration pneumonia.”

He was admitted in “serious but stable condition.”

The hospital said in a press release Saturday that Raoni “underwent surgery to remove the obstruction using a minimally invasive technique to restore normal intestinal transit.”

“The procedure was completed without complications,” the statement said.

Doctors said Raoni was receiving antibiotics and further care for recovery.

He was transferred to Sao Paulo from the intensive care unit of a hospital in Brazil’s Amazon region, where he had been in intensive care since Sunday after experiencing vomiting, abdominal pain, and coughing up blood.

The Kayapo chief has traveled the world for decades to advocate for the Amazon rainforest and traditional Indigenous communities, lobbying heads of state, monarchs and popes.

Raoni was previously hospitalized in May for treatment of a hernia and was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart problems.

He has remained active in recent months, attending the Free Land Camp, Brazil’s largest annual gathering of Indigenous people, in April.

Raoni first gained prominence in the 1970s when he campaigned against the construction of a trans-Amazonian highway during Brazil’s military dictatorship. — AFP