Abstract
Natural ecosystems are in constant conflict with the growing and disordered urban expansion, arising from the mismanagement of human developments and infrastructure, facing an accelerated rate of deforestation and defaunation. The intense pressure on natural environments impacts the local fauna through various incidents, generating high mortality, such as hit-and-run, window-crashing, attacks by domestic animals, dissemination of diseases and electrocution. The purpose of this study was to carry out a retrospective survey of the wild fauna rescued and treated at a clinic associated with the environmental police in the region of Joinville - SC. A total of 379 wild animals were treated at the clinic from 2014 to 2016. Of these, 262 (69.13%) were birds, 107 (28.23%) mammals, 9 (2.37%) reptiles and 1 (0.26%) amphibian. The main causes of referral for clinical care were due to trauma (50.66%), seizures (1.32%) and other causes (48.02%), such as home invasion and orphaned puppies. Among the reasons for traumas, pedestrian accidents were the most prevalent, representing 39.58% of the cases treated, followed by animals found to be debilitated without a defined cause (31.77%), attack by domestic animals (14.58%) and window-crashing (9.89%). The data obtained in this study show a rich diversity of species in Joinville. These species are exposed to several anthropogenic challenges and barriers derived mainly from intense displacement and human invasion, causing many animals to move in order to adapt to urban areas.
Highlights
Tropical ecosystems are facing an accelerating rate of deforestation and defaunation
Since 2006, it has been providing emergency care for free-living wild animals rescued by the environmental police, victims of trafficking, abuse, car crashes and electrical wiring, or at risk, which, after being discharged, are sent to the wild animal rehabilitation center (CETAS) or Fauna Keepers registered by IBAMA for rehabilitation and release
A total of 379 animals were rescued by the environmental institute of Santa Catarina State in charge in the region of Joinville, and sent to a clinic specializing in wild animal care, from April 2014 to July 2016
Summary
Tropical ecosystems are facing an accelerating rate of deforestation and defaunation. Landscape modification and habitat fragmentation are the main drivers of this widespread species loss as a result of the interaction of exogenous and endogenous threats, including habitat loss, degradation and isolation, changes in biology, behavior and species interactions, as well as threatening additional factors, such as logging and farming, fires, hunting, illegal trade, introduction of exotic species, edge effects and urbanization (Fischer and Lindenmayer, 2007; Symes et al, 2018). Maintaining biodiversity in these landscapes is complex and faces a multitude of challenges. The negative effects of habitat modification and wildlife exploitation have ripple and cumulative effects that affect the target species, and the structure, function and resilience of the forest due to the loss of critical animals for maintenance. environmental, which leads to changes in plant composition, animal communities and ecosystem dynamics that, associated with the development of anthropogenic infrastructures facilitating human access to wildlife habitats, aggravates the effects of deforestation (Ward et al, 2015; Sobral-Souza et al, 2017; Symes et al, 2018)
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