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Ibama demands that Petrobras resubmit its animal-rescue

plan

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Incidents during simulation raise safety concerns

By Fabio Teixeira, Marta Nogueira and Rodrigo Viga Gaier

RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Petrobras

failed one part of a test needed to obtain a license to drill in

the Foz do Amazonas basin, Brazil's environmental agency wrote

in its review made public on Wednesday.

While the agency, called Ibama, said Petrobras passed the

broader test, the technical report demanded that the firm

resubmit its animal-rescue plan, listing it as a necessary step

for its bid to drill in the ecologically sensitive region.

"The proposed plan is not capable of guaranteeing adequate

actions to care for animals," Ibama wrote.

Petrobras and Ibama did not immediately reply to requests

for comment. Petrobras previously said it would resubmit the

emergency response plan by Friday.

Despite the hurdle, the granting of the license is

"inevitable," a high-ranking Petrobras executive told Reuters,

asking not be named to discuss sensitive matters.

The area in which Petrobras aims to drill, off the shore of

the Amazonian state of Amapa, is considered Petrobras' most

promising oil frontier, sharing geology with nearby Guyana,

where Exxon Mobil ( XOM ) is developing huge fields.

The simulated rescue led to three real-life incidents after

Petrobras transported toys standing in for animals in a river at

night to fulfill a 24-hour deadline to transport them to a

veterinarian center, said the report.

During the trip, a Petrobras boat became entangled in a

fishing net. In another instance, one got stuck in a sandbank.

There also was a near collision with another vessel, said Ibama.

Ibama staffers also noted that aircraft pilots lacked proper

safety equipment from toxic substances that vaporize off animals

contaminated with oil.

($1 = 5.3478 reais)