After reports from residents and fishermen of the existence of a puma in the Ilha Grande State Park, in the Costa Verde region of Rio de Janeiro, the animal was recorded for the first time at the end of November using one of the camera traps placed on the park’s trails. The images were captured by Professor Lena Geise, from the Department of Zoology at the Institute of Biology at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (Uerj), and her students in the field activities of the Biology and Mammal Conservation discipline of the undergraduate course in Biological Sciences. “We were lucky to register with only six camera traps in three nights. It’s a very skittish species that doesn’t have a fixed path, it just wanders around”, said the teacher. Lena explained that the puma is a feline at the top of the food chain that feeds on armadillos, pacas, agoutis, coatis. “So the confirmation of the presence of the animal indicates the good state of preservation of the protected Atlantic Forest area of Ilha Grande”, stated the researcher. The Ilha Grande conservation unit is administered by the State Institute of the Environment (Inea). “Records like this make us very excited, as they indicate that our conservation work at the site is on the right track. This is a species protected by law and seeing our biodiversity healthy and occupying its rightful space is a reason for great joy and pride for us”, said, in a note, the president of Inea, Philipe Campello. Also known as Suçuarana and Leão-baio, the puma feeds on wild animals of different sizes and plays a vital role in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystems where it is found. According to Inea, the species is on the endangered list and has the capacity to adapt to different types of environments, from hot deserts to Andean highlands, with greater activity at dusk and at night. According to Inea, the presence of the species on Ilha Grande does not pose a threat to the population, as it is a skittish animal that flees human contact. “It is an animal that, when seen, we must keep our distance, but there is nothing to fear. This record reinforces the importance of a well-preserved environment”, said Inea’s Fauna manager, Marcelo Cupello.
Agência Brasil
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