Aproveitamento científico e didático de carcaças de mamíferos silvestres atropelados em rodovias no municipio de Santa Helena/PR para fins de educação ambiental

Abstract

Highways are the most used form of land transport in Brazil. The construction of highways provides socioeconomic benefits, but also leads to the loss and fragmentation of habitats, generating high rates of wildlife being run over. Environmental education aims to encourage society's participation in protecting the environment and conserving fauna. The objective of this work was to collect and identify the carcasses of road-killed wild mammals, carry out taxidermy, bone anatomical studies and assemble skeletons with carcasses collected on the PR-488, PR-495 and PR-317 highways, located in the municipality from Santa Helena, Paraná, from March 2022 to July 2023. The species with the highest incidence of roadkill were Didelphis albiventris and Cerdocyon thous, both with five carcasses collected. The carcasses were frozen for later taxidermy, bone anatomical studies and skeleton assembly. The dry taxidermy technique was used to preserve the specimens. To obtain the bones, two techniques were used. The first was the technique of burying the carcass inside a nylon bag for six months. The second technique was the use of beetles of the genus Dermestes, which feed on the remaining tissues present in the bones. Of the carcasses collected, seven taxidermies were performed, as well as two skeleton assemblies. These pieces were used in fairs and exhibitions for students from schools in the city and for the general population, with a focus on environmental education. The objective was to raise awareness among the population about preventing wild animals being run over. The specimens were donated to the Zoology laboratory of the Federal Technological University of Paraná-Campus Santa Helena, which will be available for visits by students from schools in the municipality and students from the university's undergraduate courses.