A puma (Puma concolor), also known as a cougar, mountain lion or lion-bay, was spotted walking through an environmental protection area in Maricá, in the Metropolitan Region of Rio. More than a century ago, the species was considered extinct in the coastal area of Rio.
The second largest feline in Brazil, the cougar is only smaller than the jaguar. Arredia, not easily caught.
The records were made by camera traps installed at the Serras de Maricá Municipal Wildlife Refuge (Revimar) in September, November and December 2021. And they were only released now by the city hall.
In June 2021, security cameras at Sítio Burle Marx, in Guaratiba, in the west of Rio, caught one of these animals in the area.
The presence of the feline was confirmed by a group of biologists from the University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ). The resurgence of the species in forests in Rio and the Metropolitan Region is seen by experts as a sign that the policies for the preservation and reforestation of the Atlantic Forest are working.
The State of Rio claims to have achieved zero deforestation, which occurs when less than 100 hectares of forest are destroyed per year.
“The presence of these top-of-the-line predators in our protected areas is a bioindicator of the quality of our forests,” said Helter Ferreira, Secretary of Sustainable City of Maricá. “Our municipality has more than 50% of its territory inserted in Conservation Units and this shoulder through the monitoring work carried out by the Municipality of Maricá comes to crown our actions.”
Cameras also captured margays
In addition to the puma, the camera traps installed by Revimar caught, in February 2021, a margay (Leopardus wiedii). This wild feline is considered one of the most beautiful animals in the Brazilian fauna. Slightly larger than a domestic cat, with black spots like a jaguar, the margay was also considered extinct in the coastal region, its former habitat.
The equipment for recording the movement of fauna, day or night, is part of a project developed in Maricá to monitor and identify the species found in protected areas. The images are registered in a database on the Atlantic Forest. It will be available for research and environmental conservation projects.
Municipality has other protected areas
In Maricá, there are other protected areas besides the one in which the puma was spotted. This is the case of the Serras de Maricá Municipal Environmental Protection Area, the Pedra de Inoã Municipal Natural Monument and the Pedra de Itaocaia Municipal Natural Monument.
Revimar alone covers 9,000 hectares, more than double the Tijuca National Park, and covers 25% of the territory of Maricá – representing an area larger than Armação dos Búzios, for example.
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