In Porto Alegre, the Wild Fauna Team of the Municipal Secretariat for the Environment, Urbanism and Sustainability (Smamus) rescued a female red howler monkey, of the Alouatta guariba species, this Wednesday morning (18), in the neighborhood Watermill. Sighted for the first time last week, in the Glória neighborhood, the animal was being monitored by technicians.
On Tuesday afternoon (17), there was a rescue attempt at the Azenha, but it was not possible to capture it, successfully carried out on the morning of this Wednesday. The female was found on Rua Nunes Machado and has injuries on all four limbs.
Taken to Núcleo Preservas, an initiative linked to the Hospital de Clínicas Veterinárias of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, aimed at wild animals, it will be released into the wild after recovery. The action had the support of the Fire Department, the Environmental Battalion of the Military Brigade and the Municipal Department of Urban Services (SMSUrb).
“The howler monkey Alouatta guariba is a native species, threatened with extinction, which occurs in native forests in the South Zone of the city. It is not common to find specimens in this region of Porto Alegre, which leads to the hypothesis of escape or that someone brought the animal from the forest to the city. The least likely would be dispersion from the extreme south”, explains biologist Soraya Ribeiro, head of the Wild Fauna Team.
environmental crime
Persecuting or mistreating wild fauna is an environmental crime, according to federal law 9.605/98, crimes against the environment, with penalties ranging from a fine to imprisonment. When identifying an injured or endangered wild animal, the Smamus can be contacted by calling (51) 3289-7517 and by channel 156 on weekends.
Wild Fauna Team
In 2022, the team received 786 rescue calls, a number 23% higher than that recorded in 2021. The work of the Wild Fauna Team is focused on free-living wild fauna and its main objectives are to promote the conservation of fauna in situ, management , planning conservation policies, elaboration of conservation projects, environmental monitoring, environmental education and licensing. The sector does not respond to complaints involving domestic animals.
