Biologists denounce alligator ‘safari’ in Rio lagoons – 04/20/2023 – Environment

Anyone who passes through the channels of the Jacarepaguá lagoon system, in the west zone of Rio de Janeiro, and sees an abundance of alligators on the banks cannot imagine the reality of these animals in the entire complex of lakes in the region. Experts claim that the only existing species in the Southeast of the country, the yellow-cropped bird, is at risk of extinction in the state due to increasing fishing and illegal hunting.

Since the beginning of the year, at least eight alligators have been found dead without their heads, with bullet marks or attached to hooks. The complaint was made by biologists Mário Moscatelli and Ricardo Freitas Filho. The case was registered at the DPMA (Delegation for Environmental Protection), which opened an inquiry to identify those responsible for the deaths.

“The situation is much worse than it seems because the data on dead animals are underestimated. Many, when injured, are not found because they hide in areas of the mangrove where we have no conditions to circulate. Not to mention those that are taken by hunters”, said Freitas Filho, founder of the Jacaré Institute in Rio.

One of the hypotheses is that the animals, as well as capybaras and crabs, are being hunted for commercialization.

“In addition to the environmental crime, there is a serious risk to public health in the consumption of this meat. It is contaminated because these animals have a high level of heavy metal concentrated in their bodies, mainly cyanobacterial toxins, linked to the presence of sewage in the water. In other words, , who eats also ingests these metals”, he said.

The specialist, who has been studying the species for 23 years in the region, also explains that this is due to the environmental degradation of the animals’ habitat.

“The alligators that are concentrated near the channels are there to take advantage of the discarded garbage, which they use as a source of food. But, the truth is that we have an ever lower reproduction rate. The male population is at 87%, threatening natural recruitment of the species,” he said.

Biologist Moscatelli points out that disorderly urban growth also drives the death of these animals.

“Alligators also suffer from the suppression of ecosystems where these animals lived, fed and reproduced, and which are now being expelled by urban growth. That is, there is a set of factors that involve the danger of reducing caimans in addition to hunting, which people usually say that it became a safari”, he said.

After the denunciations, the Municipal Department of Environment and Climate started an operation to combat the hunting of alligators and capybaras in the region. During the action, on Tuesday (18), agents found a cemetery of abandoned vessels hidden under mangrove vegetation.

“Our job, initially, was to inform the population that the practice of capturing or killing alligators, capybaras or any other wild animal is a crime, however, in case of flagrante delicto, the offender will be arrested by the law of environmental crimes”, said the secretary Taina de Paula.

Authorities are also investigating reports of irregular occupation of environmental protection areas on the banks of the Tijuca lagoon.

According to biologists, the total disappearance of alligators threatens the existence of other species and increases the proliferation of pests.

“The alligator is the predator of the entire chain, which maintains the regulation of the entire population and the ecological balance within the Jacarepaguá lagoon complex, which is the city’s greatest reference of natural habitat where the species still exists and persists, surviving very precarious conditions as it has been in recent years”, said Freitas Filho.

Another complaint by Moscatelli concerns the capture of crabs in the region with the use of snares — a “reprehensible” technique, according to the expert.

“These are traps made up of a piece of wood with ribbons that people place inside the holes of the crabs, which become entangled in the material. The technique ends up catching females and babies, threatening the next generations. In addition, the vast majority of animals are killed and abandoned by installers who end up forgetting where they placed the traps”, he reported.