Abstract
ABSTRACT: In ecological parks, the proximity to tourist activities facilitates the exploration of garbage by coatis, with possible serious consequences for the animals health . We described the contents of wild coatis feces from three ecological parks. After analyzing 62 samples, fragments of plants and animals were identified in all feces. In the feces of two parks, seeds were present between 36.4% and 48.6% of the samples. Arthropod fragments were identified in 100% of the samples from two parks, but only 87.3% in a third park. Scales, bones or bird feathers were present in some samples. Undigested material of industrial origin was detected in 34.3% to 54.5% of the samples, such as fragments of paper, string, plastic, aluminum, latex and glass. Results are in line with other studies on the diet of wild coatis, but the intake of foreign bodies, potentially harmful to health, is described for the first time. Clinical problems resulting from ingesting waste can be dental fractures, mucosal erosions, intestinal perforation, peritonitis, impaction, diarrhea, weight loss, intoxication and infections. Coatis in the three parks are at risk of health, and actions are needed to avoid clinical and potentially fatal problems. Four actions are recommended to avoid ingesting foreign bodies: increasing the environmental education of visitors; improving the storage of waste generated in parks; periodically monitor the health of coatis, in order to make interventions when possible; make a permanent program to study the ecology of species in the three parks.
Highlights
The coati (Nasua nasua) is a mammal belonging to the Carnivora order and the Procyonidae family, distributed across South America and found in Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil (GOMPPER, DECKER 1998)
Seeds were observed in 36.4% of PMM samples and 48.6% of PNC samples; none were reported in EEAL samples
Worms were present in 8.6% of PNC samples, but none were reported in the feces from PMM or EEAL
Summary
The coati (Nasua nasua) is a mammal belonging to the Carnivora order and the Procyonidae family, distributed across South America and found in Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil (GOMPPER, DECKER 1998). The coati diet is varied, as expected for a species classified as omnivorous (EISEMBERG & REDFORD, 1999), and includes fruits, arthropods, annelids, and small vertebrates. According to the literature review, there are no studies on the impact of the ingestion of waste on the health of coatis. Studies on the health of wild coatis have focused on their role as transmitters, vectors, or reservoirs of tropical zoonosis (COSTA et al, 2018; MORAES et al, 2019)
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