Last weekend was a surprise for the team at Tijuca National Park, who noticed, on Sunday afternoon (21), the appearance of a bush dog (Cerdocyon thous), a wild animal native to the conservation unit that is rarely seen during the day. The incident occurred in the green area of Parque Lage, part of the Tijuca National Park.
Around 3:00 p.m., park employee Plínio Júnior noticed the animal. He got his cell phone camera ready, kept his distance, and silently waited for the species to pass by. “What surprised me was its appearance at that time, during the day.” These animals are predominantly nocturnal. “Because of this unusual visit, we took care to ensure that it did not get close to the exit of Parque Lage, which is very close to Rua Jardim Botânico,” Plínio Júnior pointed out.
The concern is motivated by the fact that roadkill of native fauna is a major threat to the species in Tijuca National Park, a conservation unit that is surrounded and under pressure from the city of Rio de Janeiro. The head of the park, Viviane Lasmar, warned about this problem and stated that one of the reasons for the appearance of this wild dog may be related to the availability of food and human waste in the green area visited by Parque Lage, which is very close to roads with heavy vehicle traffic.
“It is essential that people, whether they are visitors or not, dispose of their trash correctly and do not offer food to wild animals, such as the bush dog or the capuchin monkeys, for example. We should not get into the habit of feeding these animals, as it puts their safety at risk, from the possibility of transmitting diseases to them to being run over, as they start leaving the forest in search of human food,” said Viviane.
