Threats to the conservation of the vulnerable giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) in the Cerrado biome: a retrospective survey

In this study, we conducted a retrospective survey of 63 giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) using the Federal University of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais State, Brazil as reference site for wild animals. We analyzed the clinical records of 63 animals from January 2016 to February 2020. The informa...

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Autores principales: Martins, Nathana Beatriz, Pinto, Nataly Nogueira Ribeiro, da Silva, Tainara Santana Galvão, da Hora, Aline Santana
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Sociedade de Medicina Veterinária do Estado do Rio de Janeiro 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10464529/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37649963
http://dx.doi.org/10.29374/2527-2179.bjvm001023
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author Martins, Nathana Beatriz
Pinto, Nataly Nogueira Ribeiro
da Silva, Tainara Santana Galvão
da Hora, Aline Santana
author_facet Martins, Nathana Beatriz
Pinto, Nataly Nogueira Ribeiro
da Silva, Tainara Santana Galvão
da Hora, Aline Santana
author_sort Martins, Nathana Beatriz
collection PubMed
description In this study, we conducted a retrospective survey of 63 giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) using the Federal University of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais State, Brazil as reference site for wild animals. We analyzed the clinical records of 63 animals from January 2016 to February 2020. The information obtained included the location where the anteater was found, the reason for rescue, estimated life stage, gender, weight, general condition of the animal, clinical signs, diagnosis, and destination. Of the 63 animals, 30.15%, (n = 19/63) were found in rural areas, 25.40% (n = 16/63) in urban areas, and 22.22% (n = 14/63) near highways. The main reason for rescue was run-over accidents (n = 18/63, 28.60%). Regarding life stage distribution, 27% (n = 17/63) were cubs, 25.40% (n = 16/63) were adolescent, and 41.26% (n = 26/63) were adults. There was a higher frequency of females (n = 35/63, 56%), and three (9%) of them were pregnant or had cubs. For injury evaluation, three of the 63 giant anteaters were dead on arrival at the rehabilitation site; therefore, we excluded them from this aspect of the study. Of the 60 remaining anteaters, only 13.33% (n = 8/60) of the animals were healthy upon physical examination.The most common condition was traumatic brain injury (n = 32/60 53.33%), followed by fractures (n = 23/60, 38.33%), neonate triad (n = 15/60, 25%), and abrasions (n = 15/60, 25%). The animals presented a high mortality rate (n = 39/60, 65%). The low number of giant anteaters reintroduced to their natural habitat and the high mortality rate of animals sent to rehabilitation centers show that the protection of giant anteaters is important to reduce the number of these animals sent to rehabilitation centers.
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spelling pubmed-104645292023-08-30 Threats to the conservation of the vulnerable giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) in the Cerrado biome: a retrospective survey Martins, Nathana Beatriz Pinto, Nataly Nogueira Ribeiro da Silva, Tainara Santana Galvão da Hora, Aline Santana Braz J Vet Med Scientific Article In this study, we conducted a retrospective survey of 63 giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) using the Federal University of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais State, Brazil as reference site for wild animals. We analyzed the clinical records of 63 animals from January 2016 to February 2020. The information obtained included the location where the anteater was found, the reason for rescue, estimated life stage, gender, weight, general condition of the animal, clinical signs, diagnosis, and destination. Of the 63 animals, 30.15%, (n = 19/63) were found in rural areas, 25.40% (n = 16/63) in urban areas, and 22.22% (n = 14/63) near highways. The main reason for rescue was run-over accidents (n = 18/63, 28.60%). Regarding life stage distribution, 27% (n = 17/63) were cubs, 25.40% (n = 16/63) were adolescent, and 41.26% (n = 26/63) were adults. There was a higher frequency of females (n = 35/63, 56%), and three (9%) of them were pregnant or had cubs. For injury evaluation, three of the 63 giant anteaters were dead on arrival at the rehabilitation site; therefore, we excluded them from this aspect of the study. Of the 60 remaining anteaters, only 13.33% (n = 8/60) of the animals were healthy upon physical examination.The most common condition was traumatic brain injury (n = 32/60 53.33%), followed by fractures (n = 23/60, 38.33%), neonate triad (n = 15/60, 25%), and abrasions (n = 15/60, 25%). The animals presented a high mortality rate (n = 39/60, 65%). The low number of giant anteaters reintroduced to their natural habitat and the high mortality rate of animals sent to rehabilitation centers show that the protection of giant anteaters is important to reduce the number of these animals sent to rehabilitation centers. Sociedade de Medicina Veterinária do Estado do Rio de Janeiro 2023-08-21 /pmc/articles/PMC10464529/ /pubmed/37649963 http://dx.doi.org/10.29374/2527-2179.bjvm001023 Text en https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Copyright Martins et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properly cited.
spellingShingle Scientific Article
Martins, Nathana Beatriz
Pinto, Nataly Nogueira Ribeiro
da Silva, Tainara Santana Galvão
da Hora, Aline Santana
Threats to the conservation of the vulnerable giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) in the Cerrado biome: a retrospective survey
title Threats to the conservation of the vulnerable giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) in the Cerrado biome: a retrospective survey
title_full Threats to the conservation of the vulnerable giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) in the Cerrado biome: a retrospective survey
title_fullStr Threats to the conservation of the vulnerable giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) in the Cerrado biome: a retrospective survey
title_full_unstemmed Threats to the conservation of the vulnerable giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) in the Cerrado biome: a retrospective survey
title_short Threats to the conservation of the vulnerable giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) in the Cerrado biome: a retrospective survey
title_sort threats to the conservation of the vulnerable giant anteater (myrmecophaga tridactyla) in the cerrado biome: a retrospective survey
topic Scientific Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10464529/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37649963
http://dx.doi.org/10.29374/2527-2179.bjvm001023
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