INTERPRETATION OF INJURIES AND ASSESSMENT OF CAUSES OF DEATH IN WILD MAMMALS RECEIVED AT CETAS / IBAMA IN RIO BRANCO, ACRE, BRAZIL:

Abstract

The necropsy of wild animals is necessary to raise the awareness of the competent public organizations and the population about the risks of zoonosis. Given the scarcity of information the aim of this article was to survey of the main injuries and causes of deaths of wild mammals kept in captivity was made, through the post mortem diagnosis and who passed through Wild Animal Screening Center (Centro de Triagem de Animais Silvestres - CETAS) of Rio Branco - Acre, Brazil, from September 2012 to September 2015. After death, the animals were kept refrigerated or frozen until the time of necropsy, using the standard technique for small mammals. Fragments of organs and tissues were collected, and the material was processed for histopathology using formalin fixation (10%), paraffin impregnation, hematoxylin and eosin staining, in 4 µm thick sections. 42 animals were submitted to necropsy, 27 males (64.3%) and 15 females (35.7%), of which 21 were adults (50%), 15 were puppies (35.7%) and six were young (14.3%). The main cause of death was hypovolemic shock (11.6%), followed by starvation (9.3%). There were also many deaths from undetermined causes (11.6%). A greater occurrence of deaths was registered in the Guariba monkey (Alouatta senicullus). The identification of necropsy findings and the interpretation of macroscopic lesions showed that cardiovascular lesion was the most common deaths. There does not seem to be an influence between the dry and rainy periods on the number of deaths of these animals.