Keeping reptiles as pets in Brazil: Ethnozoological and conservation aspects

Regardless of many legal restrictions, the keeping of and trade in reptiles as pets has been increasing in Brazil over the last few years. We present an analysis of the trade and use of reptiles as pets in Brazil and discuss the implications. Data were obtained through semi-structured questionnaires given to 719 owners, who were contacted through reptile-owner groups on the social network Facebook. A total of 69 reptile species were reported as pets in Brazil, of which there were 39 snakes, 17 lizards, 12 chelonians and 1 species of crocodilian. Of the reported species, 46 are native to Brazil and 23 are exotic, including threatened species. Owners were distributed in at least 24 states, with a higher concentration in Southeast Brazil and the Federal District. Owners usually acquire animals through purchase, although prices vary and are high for some species, making reptile ownership more common among high-income individuals. Prices were affected by factors such as beauty, colour pattern, size, sex and even rarity. The keeping of reptiles as pets raises conservation concerns, as the practice directly impacts exploited populations and is a potential introduction pathway for invasive species, including exotic species that have already been recorded in natural habitats in Brazil. A thorough discussion, encompassing various stakeholders — namely, owners, traders and environmental authorities — is much needed, to address management strategies, and propose feasible solutions. Conservation and animal welfare NGOs should also be involved in this process.     

Some aspects of social behaviour in domestic sheep

Aspects of social behaviour in domestic sheep were studied by observations of undisturbed flocks. A group identity was found to develop when small flocks are established: when two such groups of similar age and sex are amalgamated, random mixing takes up to 3 weeks to develop. Breed identity was also found to exist: within flocks made up from groups of sheep of different breeds, the sheep had a strong bias for associating with others of their own breed both whilst grazing and whilst camping, and this remains even after 2 years of grazing together. This breed identity remained in the offspring born into a flock of ewes of different breeds.     

Some problems in the measurement of stress and social readjustment.

Although the Social Readjustment Rating Scale has been a useful stimulant to the study of life change and illness, it has important limitations. The existing scale cannot be used to determine the role of varying types of life changes (e.g., favorable or adverse) in the occurrence of illness. Other problems discussed are ambiguity of items, the confounding of independent and dependent variables, and lack of item specification. Suggestions are made for improved measurement of life change and for more effective study of life change and illness.     

Epidemiological aspects of strongyloidiasis in Brazil

The objective of this review was to outline an epidemiological profile of Strongyloides stercoralis by parasitological and serological diagnosis in inhabitants, and to associate this profile with different immunosupression situations, in Brazil, over 20 years (1990-2009). The occurrence of S. stercoralis using parasitological methods was 5·5%, being 4·8% in rural and 5·0% in urban areas, characterizing the country as hyperendemic. There was a diversity of techniques used as a diagnostic tool and only 39·1% of the studies presented results based on at least 1 specific method. The occurrence increased with age, being 12·1%, for those over 60 that suggests an epidemiological condition of concern for the elderly population. Of the seroepidemiological studies in the general population the mean positivity in serum samples was 21·7% and 29·2%, using an immunofluorescence antibody test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. The occurrence of strongyloidiasis in immunosuppressed individuals was 11·8% by parasitological methods and 19·5% using immunological methods. Considering that Brazil is a tropical country and that the character of chronicity and autoinfection of the parasite that can result in severe forms of hyperinfection or dissemination makes strongyloidiasis an important medically and socially neglected problem.     

Couples facing death. I-Psychosocial aspects.

Forty-one couples facing the prospect of separation by death were followed up from the time of admission to a continuing care unit through death of the patient to an interview with the bereaved spouse. Half the patients were found to have anxiety or depression or both, usually as a result of failure to cope with specific difficulties. These fell into four groups: unsatisfactory communication, direct effects of illness and treatment, failure to adjust lifestyles to changing circumstances, and pre-existing marital and family problems. This paper examines in detail the problems in the second and third groups. Support was offered to the patient and family in an attempt to help them to adjust and make the best use of their resources. The responses obtained suggest that some of the suffering of terminal illness can be relieved when psychosocial problems are recognised and appropriated help is given.     

Fishers' knowledge and seahorse conservation in Brazil

From a conservationist perspective, seahorses are threatened fishes. Concomitantly, from a socioeconomic perspective, they represent a source of income to many fishing communities in developing countries. An integration between these two views requires, among other things, the recognition that seahorse fishers have knowledge and abilities that can assist the implementation of conservation strategies and of management plans for seahorses and their habitats. This paper documents the knowledge held by Brazilian fishers on the biology and ecology of the longsnout seahorse Hippocampus reidi. Its aims were to explore collaborative approaches to seahorse conservation and management in Brazil; to assess fishers' perception of seahorse biology and ecology, in the context evaluating potential management options; to increase fishers' involvement with seahorse conservation in Brazil. Data were obtained through questionnaires and interviews made during field surveys conducted in fishing villages located in the States of Piauí, Ceará, Paraíba, Maranhão, Pernambuco and Pará. We consider the following aspects as positive for the conservation of seahorses and their habitats in Brazil: fishers were willing to dialogue with researchers; although captures and/or trade of brooding seahorses occurred, most interviewees recognized the importance of reproduction to the maintenance of seahorses in the wild (and therefore of their source of income), and expressed concern over population declines; fishers associated the presence of a ventral pouch with reproduction in seahorses (regardless of them knowing which sex bears the pouch), and this may facilitate the construction of collaborative management options designed to eliminate captures of brooding specimens; fishers recognized microhabitats of importance to the maintenance of seahorse wild populations; fishers who kept seahorses in captivity tended to recognize the condtions as poor, and as being a cause of seahorse mortality.     

Comparative aspects of iodine conservation in mammals

• 1.1. Comparative aspects of iodine conservation in mammals were studied on the basis of published data on kidney and thyroid weights and function.
• 2.2. Very small mammals possessed an efficient reabsorption of iodide to compensate for the high glomerular nitration rate (GFR).
• 3.3. Humans and mammals of a similar and larger size had “lost” the ability to reabsorb iodide efficiently.
• 4.4. Very large mammals are protected against renal loss of iodide due to the relatively low GFR.
• 5.5. Thyroid weights in relation to body weight were highest in humans suggesting that humans and other mammals of a similar size are especially susceptible to iodine deficiency.

     

Some problems of the study and representation of Siberian flora biodiversity in connection with its conservation

The present knowledge of flora of Siberia is quite insufficient, which is a considerable obstacle to the detection of its biodiversity for conserving the gene pool. Planning conservation measures should be focused not only on species, but also on intraspecific taxa and their phylogenetic uniqueness. In the absence of genetic data, available morphological and geographical methods should be used, so that, when it is impossible to establish the actual origin and relationship of taxa, the existing morphological diverstity is at least represented, as far as it is known to be based on genetic diversity. Phenetic maps can be of much use in the study of intraspecific morphological diversity. The estimation of geographic variability and morphological diversity, as well as the evaluation of territories, can be based on such maps. To represent adequately the biodiversity existing within poorly studied, presumably hybrid plant groups, until actual origin and relationship are known, they should probably be forcedly and provisionally considered as a special type of hybrid complexes, representing the unclear present day taxonomic situation. Such complexes could include populations and individuals with morphological characters of two or more different species, until the systematic position of such populations and individuals is further explored. Until the actual taxonomic status and relationship of the components are established, they could be regarded as subspecies permitted by the Code, or as certain recorded morphological deviations from the type, without assigning any taxonomic status to them--depending on the available data on variability and distribution. In the future, the resulting provisional information on morphological diversity would help to concentrate the efforts of biologists, in possession of the newest methods, on the most important objects, and serve as the scientific base for effective measures aimed at the conservation and management of the vast gene pool of the Siberian flora.     

Hearing conservation: industrial aspects in California

Impaired hearing is a serious problem. The number of persons with a significant hearing loss has been estimated to be approximately 10 per cent of the population. Hearing loss owing to exposure to noise is becoming an increasingly important disease. Although it has been recognized for more than a century, little if anything was done to prevent it until a few years ago. The initiation of hearing conservation for employees has been undertaken by many of the large companies, particularly in California. Hearing conservation includes preemployment and follow-up hearing tests, control of noise at the source and personal protection (ear plugs, ear muffs).Noise-induced hearing loss is directly related to noise-exposure. Noise must be measured in terms of volume, wave length and length of exposure. Exposure must be analyzed for daily distribution and total time. Although the noise-exposure problem is a serious one, cooperation of employee, employer and the legal and medical professions to initiate preventive programs can reduce it to a minimum.     

Hunting, use and conservation of birds in Northeast Brazil

Brazil has one of the highest avifauna diversities in the world, and many species are used by human populations in many different ways. Capturing wild birds for food, or to raise as pets, or for commercial purposes, together with the loss of habitat, have been the principal causes of population reductions among many species. The present work provides new information about the diversity of wild bird species used in Ceará State (Northeast Brazil) and the techniques used for capturing them, as well as the forces motivating this hunting, the commercial relationships involved, the maintenance of captive species, and the legal and conservation implications of the use of the regional avifauna. A total of 92 wild bird species belonging to 26 families were found to be used as food (39 spp.), for medicinal (3 spp.) and magic-religious (1 spp.) purposes, for commercial ends (46 spp.), or raised as pets (44 spp.), or killed to control their predation on domestic animals (5 spp.). Raising or selling birds is motivated by their singing and/or their natural beauty, with Thraupidae, Icteridae and Emberizidae being the principal families sought after for those purposes. The Family Columbidae has the greatest importance as a food source. Eleven traditional capture techniques (both active and passive) were identified. The commercial value of the birds varied depending on both intra- and inter-specific factors, and the trade in these animals involved both dealers who sold large numbers of individuals at low prices and specialists (“passarinheiros”) who sold just a few domesticated individuals of greater value. Our evaluations of transactions taking place in public markets indicated the probable over-exploitation of a number of species, and these were often imported from other states and countries. In addition to being illegal, the capture of wild birds can cause serious environmental problems that can only be addressed through public policies directed towards education, monitoring and control, alternative sources of income, wildlife management, and ecosystem conservation.     

Structure and conservation value of high-diversity hedgerows in southeastern Brazil

We studied the tree component of hedgerows resulting from the natural colonization of land plot boundaries’ ditches. These three-meter wide ditches were dug during the European occupation of southeastern Brazil, and are a prominent feature of the landscape. The hedgerows are connected to forest fragments within a farmland matrix. In two systems of hedgerows, we sampled a total of 2.28 ha (114 plots of 200 m²), where we evaluated the structural and floristic similarity between fragments and hedgerows, the similarities between the hedgerows and the fragments’ edges and interior, and the relationships between distribution of tree species and soil variables. The systems presented similar richness and diversity; hedgerows had greater similarity to the fragments included in the same system than to hedgerows of the other system, indicating possible functional linkages between their components (fragments and hedgerows). Tree species composition in the hedgerows was not more similar to the fragment edges as we expected. The hedgerows exhibited greater density and basal area than the fragments. For either single system, species showed preferences for fragments or hedgerows or for sections of the ditch (edge, wall and bottom of the ditch), but for species common in both systems, those preferences were rarely held. The environmental conditions in the ditches seem to favor the establishment of species from the fragments, even those more common in fragment interior, suggesting that, in spite of their narrow widths, these hedgerows may play an important role in the conservation of flora without negatively impacting agriculturally productive rural areas.