A cidade e os “bichos”: poder público, sociedade e animais em Belém (1892-1917)

Abstract

Throughout the nineteenth century, municipal governments banned certain uses, as permanence and circulation of animals in Belém through the “Códigos de Posturas”. Even after Antonio Lemos Stewardship (1897-1911), during the peak of rubber economy and the consolidation of the republican regime, the bans remained, and to it were added measures and practical actions as the creation of a Municipal Guard. This dissertation investigates how the government wanted to discipline the residents of the state capital in the use of animals and results of this, focusing the analysis on three types of bans: mistreating pack animals, letting livestock animals of any kind loose on the streets and squares, and owning dogs without the municipal license. To this end, we investigated sources as “Códigos de Posturas”, “Relatórios dos Intendentes Municipais”, newspapers, literature and images. I analyzed this documentation using concepts such as nature and civilization, in the perspective of the environmental history.