Agressão por morcegos em humanos em uma área de conservação na Amazônia Oriental

Abstract

Bat attacks on humans have been reported in the municipality of Curuçá, precisely around and within the Mãe Grande Extractive Reserve. This work aims to understand the space-time perception and the dynamics of aggressions by blood-sucking bats in humans in an extractive reserve area in the Amazon. As a methodological procedure, documentary and article references were collected. Oral interviews were also conducted with the oldest social actors and with individuals who had already been attacked from the communities visited. Individuals who confirmed that they had been assaulted by bats were georeferenced. The most affected are artisanal fishermen who live with their families or stay for seasons on the islands and beaches to fish for crab, fish or shrimp. In general, the interviewees do not relate the alteration of the landscape to the increase in aggressions, but they highlight the reduction of some animal species in this environment. However, it was possible to identify locations where aggressions have not occurred for at least 10 years associated with the introduction of electrical energy. In locations where there is no electricity, individuals with recent attacks have been identified. In the fishermen's perception, alcoholism is an important factor for the exposure of these individuals. It identifies the need for educational work for the population that is attacked, and the recognition of public policies for those individuals who become more vulnerable to bats.