IMPACT OF THE PRESENCE OF DOMESTIC DOGS AND CATS ON THE WILD FAUNA OF THE CARAÍVA PENINSULA, MONTE PASCOAL NATIONAL PARK
Dogs; Cats; Caraíva; Environment
Disorderly urban growth is one of the main factors in decreasing the environmental quality of cities. Along with this human occupation came the breeding of domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and cats (Felis catus) as pets that have become part of the life and routine of the Brazilian. Dogs and cats have a long history with humanity and thanks to the close relationship with man, their reproductive capacity and easy adaptation, these animals have spread almost everywhere on the planet. However, this wide distribution has generated problems, such as predation and the transmission of diseases to wildlife. Dogs and cats are also involved in a substantial amount of zoonoses and physical and psychic trauma due to eventual bites. In extreme cases, dogs and cats are the main predators of wild animals. The problems are magnified when one considers the role of dogs and cats in areas of environmental protection, such as the Caraíva peninsula (Porto Seguro, Bahia). This region, located in the Monte Pascoal National Park, is an area of environmental protection and extractive reserve, where lives a human population with activities based on tourism and subsistence economy. This population has a habit of raising dogs and cats freely loose that can harm the wildlife of the region. To investigate the impact generated by dogs and cats to the wildlife of the Caraíva peninsula, this research is a retrospective, qualitative-quantitative study comprising the period from January to December 2022. For this purpose, secondary data will be obtained from the Secretariat of the Environment and Animal Cause of Porto Seguro, and access to secondary data from journals and public media. The goal is to propose environmental education measures and intervention actions to alleviate the problem.