Análise da percepção da população a respeito dos centro de triagem de animais silvestres e zoológicos e sua desmistificação.

Abstract

The objective of this work was to identify and, when possible, to demystify the population's view of the Wild Animal Screening Center (CETAS) and Zoos. Questionnaires were carried out with CETAS, as well as with a random sample of the population, comparing the vision of these people with reality and trying to show the importance of these places for the conservation and rehabilitation of wild animals. According to the research results, it was observed that the population still carries a lot of prejudice and erroneous information in relation to the intuitions that keep wild animals in captivity. For example, it can be mentioned that part of the interviewees has the idea that animals are kept in captivity for profit (17%) or just for entertainment (21%), that the care provided to them is classified mostly as regular (45%), and some believe that these individuals ended up in captivity after being captured in the wild (14%). Still, only 55% of respondents knew what CETAS was. It was possible to verify that the opinions favorable or contrary to the performance of zoos or CETAS are not related to the age group, educational level or gender of the interviewees. According to what was discussed in this work, it was concluded that it is necessary to educate the population about the importance of the work of zoos and wild animal screening centers. In this way, demystifying the population's view of the role that these centers have in the recovery and conservation of animals may assist in public policies related to the conservation of wild species.