CONTROLE POPULACIONAL DE FELINOS ERRANTES E FERAIS (FELIS CATUS LINNAEUS, 1758) EM ZOOLÓGICO DO TRIÂNGULO MINEIRO

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to analyse the use of population control for stray and feral cats at the Uberlândia Municipal Zoo - Parque do Sabiá - Minas Gerais, through the CED (Capture-Esterilise-Return) population control programme using the "TZAX" pharmacological protocol. It should be noted that staff and visitors were informed about the action that was being carried out and its objectives; in this way, personal conflicts were minimised, since the general public doesn't understand such actions and sometimes even characterises them as mistreatment. The sterilisation surgeries with gonad ablation were carried out by a veterinarian with extensive experience in collective veterinary medicine and dog and cat population control, and the post-operative period was monitored by veterinary medicine undergraduates. To carry out this research, all parts of the zoo, the park and its surroundings were visited, with the main focus being on places where there were reports of felines living, and traps were set up to capture them.