PACATO

INDIVIDUAL RECORD / NEX

Record 01

IDENTIFICATION CHARACTERISTICS:

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Puma concolor COMMON NAME: Puma (Suçuarana)

KNOWN AS: “PACATO “ SEX: ( X ) M ( ) F

DATE OF BIRTH: March 1996 STUDBOOK: 102

MARKING: Tattoo 102 SHELTER: 01

DATE OF ADMISSION: 01/13/2001

ORIGIN: Brasilia Zoo

HISTORY: Native of Serra do Cachimbo – South of Pará – Was 5 months old at the time he came to Brasilia Ecological Pole. Raised with care and affection, very close to people, he became docile. Because of zoo overpopulation, for a long time he was sheltered at the veterinarian section, in good conditions. From 1996 through January 2001, before coming to NEX Conservation Refuge, he was kept in a cage measuring 2,00 x 1,00 m. He became obese, with hind limbs hypertrophy. An attempt to put him next to other pumas in the visiting quarters proved unsuccessful, as he tried to dominate and started fighting the other animals.

Cage where Pacato was kept for 4 years

Arrival at NEX

Pacato in his new environment

Pacato: restored dignity

Pacato – artistic rendering by Miguel Pacheco Chaves

Xuxo

Xuxo is our most recent protégé. He arrived at NEX on April 30, 2002.

Lived from a very tender age in the home of a family living in the city of Santa Maria da Vitória, close to Bom Jesus da Lapa – Bahia.
Former owners raised the feline as it were a family dog, keeping him in a small area (almost a kennel) during the day and setting him free during the night, to guard the house. They bathed him with shampoo and fed him cooked beef - 1,5 kilos a day. Kept with care, as a pet, Xuxo was allowed into the house, was used to sitting on the couch and to being gently fondled.

Xuxo was brought to NEX because our male Pacato needed company. On admission, we refrained from performing any clinical tests, as the animal was restive and deeply missing the owners. It accepted no food for some days, but at night sneaked into the feeding area and drank some milk. As it started feeding regularly and was better adapted, we performed the clinical tests – and to our surprise, we saw it was a male. In previous contacts with the owners, NEX veterinarian, Rebecca, had even been told of “Xuxa’s” estrus!

Our task now is to make XUXO recall that he is a puma. He is already eating raw beef, and seems better adapted to his new life. While he was adapting, we tried not to bother him by taking pictures.

Although the purpose of our Conservation Refuge is not to keep the animals permanently, we worry that XUXO would not easily adjust to life in a zoo. For the time being, he will remain at NEX and, with the help of donations, we hope to build an enclosure for him only and - later on, we hope - his companion.

This is a living example that wild animals are not made for domestic life. They are just not suitable pets. Sooner or later they become a problem or are located by IBAMA and must be taken away. And they suffer with the parting. Think of that before you accept wild cubs or youngs from strangers, or when you buy one from a trafficker.

Trafficking is a crime. Do not accept that. Denounce this abominable trade.

Just to give an idea of how difficult it is for a feline to adapt, we reproduce here the follow-up record we keep at NEX.

CLINICAL AND BEHAVIORAL FOLLOW-UP

Shariel

INDIVIDUAL RECORD / NEX

Record nº  06

IDENTIFICATION CHARACTERISTICS::

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Puma concolor

COMMON NAME:  Suçuarana

KNOWN AS:  Shariel

SEX: (   ) M    ( X ) F 

DATE OF BIRTH: fevereiro de 2004

STUDBOOK:

MARKING:

SHELTER: 01

DATE OF ADMISSION: 03 / 10 / 2003

ORIGIN: Fundação Pólo Ecológico de Brasília

HISTORY:

The ‘suçuarana’ was captured by the military police at the Siriema Farm, located at Cavalcanti/Go city, after an accusation that there was a ‘suçuarana’ hunting chickens. In August 06 of 2003, the ‘suçuarana’ was taken  to the ‘Polo Ecológico’ Foundation in Brasília, with no external injuries, skinny (weighting  5,7 kg), dehydrated and very hungry. Than, the ‘suçuarana’ was taken to the NEX two months after being captured, weighting 10 kg and was placed for a month  in a different enclosure, before being introduced to the enclosure 1, together with the two ‘suçuaranas’ males. The ‘suçuarana’ had a good adaptation with the new enclosure and did not have problems with the males.

POTIRA

INDIVIDUAL RECORD / NEX

Record nº  07

IDENTIFICATION CHARACTERISTICS:

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Puma concolor

COMMON NAME: Sussuarana

KNOWN AS: Potira

SEX: (   ) M    ( X ) F 

DATE OF BIRTH: maio de 2004

STUDBOOK:

MARKING:

SHELTER: 01

DATE OF ADMISSION: 27 / 01 / 2005

ORIGIN: CETAS / IBAMA-AM / Manaus

HISTORY:

Animal voluntarily delivered to the ‘CETAS/IBAMA’ of Manaus/AM , with approximately two months, together with a male (considered ‘brither’) of the same age. According to information from the person who delivered the animals to the ‘IBAMA’, they were found floeating on a trunk at an Amazon river.  Unfortunately, days after being delivered to the ‘IBAMA’, the male died. The female (Potira) survived and was kept at the ‘CETAS’ for 6 months waiting for a way of transportation to move to the NEX. Excelente adaptation within the enclosure.