Run-over of wild mammals in the area of Telemaco Borba, Parana, Brazil

Abstract

Nowadays, the running-over of animals in roads is one of the main threats to the wild fauna. Between January 1994 and December 2002, 601 small, medium, and large mammals were ran-over on the roads inside the Fazenda Monte Alegre, in east-central Parana. Among the species most victimized were Mazama gouzoubira, Nasua nasua, and Cerdocyon thous. The period with the greatest incidence of run-overs was springtime and the high speed of vehicles was the major culprit. Among the measures that might contribute for the reduction in these figures are: environmental education, improvement in the signaling of the roads, better oversight and control of speed, and speed controllers.

Full text

195Technical – Scientific Articles Natureza & Conservação - vol. 7 - n.1 - April 2009 - pp. 195-207
Run-over of wild mammals in the area of Telêmaco Borba, Paraná, Brazil
INTRODUCTION
The ecological impacts caused by roads have
been considered by many authors as one of
the main responsible factors for loss of biodi-
versity in the world (Fearnside, 1989, 1990;
Schonewald-Cox & Buechner, 1992; Pádua et
al., 1995; Goosem, 1997; Forman & Alexander,
1998; Trombulak & Frissell, 2000; Scoss, 2002),
mainly because of the fragmentation of natu-
ral habitats, the increase of the fringe in rela-
tion to the total area of remaining forests, and
loss of fauna cause by running-overs
(Goosem, 1997).
The barrier created by roads, besides frag-
menting the landscape, interrupts the flux of
some species and causes expressive changes
in the ecological relationships between the
species that inhabit the fringes (Mader, 1984;
Burnett, 1992; Forman & Alexander, 1998;
Scoss, 2002). The extension band of these ef-
fects varies according to ecological factors
such as: the species, the soil, and water; and
also depends on local conditions of each road,
such as: (i) building characteristics (width,
presence or absence of pavement, and type of
vegetation coverage on the sides); (ii) density
of vehicles per day; (iii) speed reached by the
vehicles; and (iv) type of landscape crossed
by the road (Forman, 2000).
The high mortality rates of animals by run-
overs on roads are reported in several coun-
tries (Bellis & Graves, 1971; Oxley et al., 1974;
Puglisi et al., 1974; Reed et al., 1975; Hamer,
1994; Noss, 2002). In Brazil, the impact of run-
English
Run-over of wild mammals in the area of
Telêmaco Borba, Paraná, Brazil
Tânia Zaleski, MSc1
• Post grade Program in Zoology – Federal University of Paraná
Vlamir Rocha, Dr.
• Klabin S.A.
Sérgio Adão Filipaki
• Klabin S.A
Emygdio Leite de Araujo Monteiro-Filho, Dr.
• Federal University of Paraná and Instituto de Pesquisa Cananéia – IPeC
ABSTRACT
Nowadays, the running-over of animals in roads is one of the main threats to the wild fauna.
Between January 1994 and December 2002, 601 small, medium, and large mammals were ran-over
on the roads inside the Fazenda Monte Alegre, in east-central Paraná. Among the species most vic-
timized were Mazama gouzoubira, Nasua nasua,andCerdocyon thous. The period with the greatest in-
cidence of run-overs was springtime and the high speed of vehicles was the major culprit. Among
the measures that might contribute for the reduction in these figures are: environmental education,
improvement in the signaling of the roads, better oversight and control of speed, and speed con-
trollers.
Keywords: threats, roads, mastofauna, mortality.
1t.zaleski@uol.com.br

196Technical – Scientific Articles Natureza & Conservação - vol. 7 - n.1 - April 2009 - pp. 195-207
Tânia Zaleski - Vlamir Rocha - Sérgio Adão Filipaki - Emygdio Leite de Araujo Monteiro-Filho
overs on the fauna is little known (Vieira,
1996; Ribeiro & Monchiski, 1998; Fischer,
2002; Cândido Junior et al., 2002; Rodrigues et
al., 2002; Scoss, 2002). Considering that the
country has an extended network of roads, of
approximately 1,725,000 square kilometers
(GEIPOT, 2001), and several of them cross fo-
rest areas which present considerable fauna,
knowing which species are the most affected
and the locations with the highest run-over
incidence is fundamental to devise measures
that minimize these impacts.
The species most negatively affected by roads
are those which do not adapt well to fringe
environments, are sensitive to human contact,
occur in low densities, are improbable or in-
capable of crossing roads, and seek roads to
get warm or for food (Schonewald-Cox &
Buechner, 1992).
Brazil presents one of the greatest diversities
of mammals in the world, with 652 out of the
approximately 4,650 species that exist, and
this figure is considered underestimated (Reis
et al., 2006). The state of Paraná presents ap-
proximately 28% of the species of this fauna
(Reis et al., 2005); however, 32 of these species
are already endangered in the state (Mikich &
Bérnils, 2004). Taking into consideration the
intimate relationships between wild mam-
mals and the Brazilian ecosystems, these fig-
ures are certainly related to the great reduc-
tion, fragmentation, and other anthropic im-
pacts on natural areas (Reis et al., 2006).
Having in mind that the interaction between
the fauna and the roads is still poorly recor-
ded in Brazil, this study aims at recording
mammal species run-over on the PR-160 and
secondary roads in the sections that cross the
Fazenda Monte Alegre, in the municipality of
Telêmaco Borba, state of Paraná, between
1994 and 2002. The most affected species were
identified, so were the sections and the sea-
sons when the run-overs predominantly oc-
curred, and measures were proposed to de-
crease the number of incidents.
METHODS
The study was done at the Fazenda Monte
Alegre (24º12’ S, 50º33’ W; FIGURE 1), which
is located inside the city limits of Telêmaco
Borba, state of Paraná, southern Brazil. The
property belongs to Klabin S.A., and has an
area of approximately 126,000 ha, 37.15% of
which correspond to preservation areas,
53.65% is made of areas of forestry of euca-
lyptus, pine trees, and Paraná pine, forming a
mosaic with native vegetation; and 9.2% is
constituted of buildings (Relatório de
Informações Gerais Klabin, 2000). The buil-
dings are a paper mill, two housing comple-
xes (Harmonia and Lagoa) for employees,
and the Ecological Park. Because it is a com-
pany that produces paper and cellulose, as
well as pine and eucalyptus logs, the roads
that cross the property present an intense
traffic of both cars and trucks.
The region is characterized as an environ-
mental mosaic made up of Cerrado, mixed
ombrophilous forests, seasonal semidecidu-
ous forests, the transition of the latter two, as
well as meadow areas (Bernarde & Machado,
2000). Climate ranges from transitional sub-
tropical to temperate, without a dry season
(Köppen, Cfa/Cfb). The period with the
greatest pluviosity occurs between December
and February, while the dry season is be-
tween July and August, with a low frequency
of frosts. The average pluviosity per year is
1,490mm, the average temperature during the
year is 19.3°C and the annual relative humi-
dity is 77% (Relatório de Informações Gerais
Klabin, 2000).
The Fazenda Monte Alegre presents 83 mam-
mal species, distributed into nine orders and
24 families (Reis et al., 2005). Several of these
species inhabit not only the natural areas but
also the reforestation ones (Relatório de
Informações Gerais Klabin, 2000). It is crossed
by three different types of road: a) a paved
road (PR-160), b) roads paved with macadam,
and c) unpaved roads. The PR-160 road cross-
es the property in the N-S direction, is 35 kilo-
meters long, and connects the cities of

FIGURE 1: Location of the Fazenda Monte Alegre in the
state of Paraná, highlighted in a map of Brazil.
Brazil
Paraná
Fazenda Monte Alegre
Telêmaco
Borba
Floresta Nativa
Reflorestamento
Harmonia
PR-090
PR-160
Lagoa
Tropic of Capricorn
197Technical – Scientific Articles Natureza & Conservação - vol. 7 - n.1 - April 2009 - pp. 195-207
Run-over of wild mammals in the area of Telêmaco Borba, Paraná, Brazil
Curiúva and Telêmaco Borba, state of Paraná.
There are approximately 1,100 kilometers of
macadam-paved roads and the unpaved
roads totalize around 9,600 kilometers. This
study includes PR-160 and the macadam-
paved roads, which have on their margins
vegetation constituted of pine trees, eucalyp-
tus, and Paraná pine plantations. Native veg-
etation occurs only in spots that involve pas-
sages of rivers. The 9,600 kilometers of un-
paved roads were not taken into considera-
tion because there was no record of run-overs
during the period of the study.
Sampling Design
In 1994, a program of collection of run-over
animals was established in the roads that
cross the Fazenda. Both its employees and in-
habitants were instructed to take the run-over
animals, regardless of their conservation
state, to the Ecological Park and, when the
collection was not possible, they should in-
form the Park administrator about its loca-
tion. The administrator would, then, proceed
with the collection of the animal.
For each animal that arrived to the Park, the
date and location of the finding, the species
(common name), the gender, and the collector
were registered and, beginning in 2002, also
the animal’s weight. The locations of the fin-
dings were described by the collector and the
characteristics of the location and/or proxi-
mity to some commonly known location were
taken into account. Since the identification of
the animal was done through its common
name, the employees responsible for recei-
ving the animals were previously trained in
order to standardize the popular names. In
case there was doubt about the identification,
the animals were frozen and the biologist in
charge would identify them when he could,
otherwise, the animals were discarded.
Mammals run-over between 1994 and 2002
were taken into consideration. Other taxa
(amphibians, reptiles, birds) were also found
run-over on the roads, but they were not ta-
ken into account in this study because of the
difficulty in identifying them and because of
their small sizes. According to Silva et al.
(2007), the locating of smaller carcasses, such
as those of amphibians and reptilians, is more
effective when one slowly passes through the
sections that are being evaluated, on a bike,
for instance. The aid of Klabin employees and
inhabitants of the Fazenda Monte Alegre was
essential in obtaining results.
In order to facilitate the determination of lo-
cations with the biggest number of ran-over
animals, 40 spots were established, taking in-
to consideration similarities of the road
(straight roads, curves, and declivities) and
marginal vegetation. Spots 1 to 28 correspond
to sectors of PR-160. Spots 29 to 34 corre-
spond to macadam-paved roads. Spot 29 is
English

198Technical – Scientific Articles Natureza & Conservação - vol. 7 - n.1 - April 2009 - pp. 195-207
Tânia Zaleski - Vlamir Rocha - Sérgio Adão Filipaki - Emygdio Leite de Araujo Monteiro-Filho
located near a housing complex which was
deactivated in January 1999. Spots 35 and 36
correspond to the Harmonia and Lagoa hou-
sing complexes, respectively. Spots 37 and 38
are located near the limits of the Fazenda
Monte Alegre. Spot 39 corresponds to a group
of occurrences in the Fazenda Monte Alegre
which identification of the location was not
possible. Finally, number 40 refers to mam-
mals ran-over and collected on the PR-160, in-
side the property, but without any details
about the location (TABLE 1; FIGURE 2).
Because of the fact that information about the
collection location was obtained from a pre-
existing file, it was not possible to determine
the type of marginal vegetation of each run-
over, since the information was not on the
chart. Only in 2002 this information was veri-
fied and a relationship between the type of
marginal vegetation and run-over incidence
was established.
The incidence was compared by month and
by season, with the following calendar being
TABLE1:Spots corresponding to sectors of the roads inside Fazenda Monte Alegre, state of Paraná, along the number of ran-
over animals and characteristics of the location.
No.Characteristics No. of occurrences
1 Bridge over the Rio Tibagi 1
2 Section in declivity near a water course 10
3 Acess road to the pine and eucalyptus log depot 6
4 Roundabout to the Harmonia housing complex 15
5 Quite sinuous section, near the Harmonia housing complex.
The section is also crossed by a creek. 38
6 Access road to the Harmonia housing complex, deactivated in 2001 12
7 Straight road; thick marginal vegetation 13
8 Section of straight road interspersed with sharp curves; thick marginal vegetation 27
9 Straight road and short marginal vegetation 25
10 Straight road and short marginal vegetation 16
11 Straight road; little marginal vegetation 3
12 Straight road and short marginal vegetation 12
13 Straight road; tall marginal vegetation 10
14 Straight road; tall marginal vegetation 13
15 Sharp curve 18
16 Straight road and short marginal vegetation 3
17 Straight road; thick marginal vegetation 25
18 Straight road; thick marginal vegetation 16
19 Straight road; short marginal vegetation 7
20 Straight road; thick marginal vegetation 10
21 Sinuous section near the Lagoa housing complex 14
22 Straight road; thick marginal vegetation l 11
23 Region crossed by a river (Rio Pinheiro Seco) 33
24 Straight road; short marginal vegetation 4
25 Straight road; short marginal vegetation 14
26 Straight road; thick marginal vegetation 4
27 Straight road; thick marginal vegetation 6
28 Region crossed by a river (Rio das Antas) 3
29 Macadam-paved road with intense truck traffic 34
30 Macadam-paved road; thick marginal vegetation 20
31 Macadam-paved road; thick marginal vegetation 12
32 Macadam-paved road; thick marginal vegetation 3
Continues

199Technical – Scientific Articles Natureza & Conservação - vol. 7 - n.1 - April 2009 - pp. 195-207
Run-over of wild mammals in the area of Telêmaco Borba, Paraná, Brazil
adopted: summer (from January to March),
autumn (from April to June), winter (from
July to September), and spring (from October
to December). Run-over frequency by season
and by month was compared using the chi-
square test (= 0.05).
Run-over impact, in terms of mass, was ob-
tained in order to verify how much weight of
each species was removed from the popula-
tions. The weight was estimated by multiply-
ing the number of ran-over mammals from
each species by their average weight. The a-
verage weight was obtained through the
weight of ran-over animals and from data ob-
tained in the literature (Cimardi, 1996;
Eisenberg, 1989; Silva, 1984).
RESULTS
During the study in the sampled area, 601
small, medium-sized, and large ran-over
mammals, belonging to 29 species, were
recorded (TABLE 2). The most ran-over
species were Mazama gouazoubira, Nasua nasua,
Cerdocyon thous, Dasypus novemcinctus,
Tamandua tetradactyla, Didelphis albiventris,
and Tayassu tajacu (TABLE 2). These species
represent 70% of all the ran-over mammals. If
we take into account the losses in weight, the
English
No.Characteristics No. of occurrences
33 Macadam-paved road; thick marginal vegetation 4
34 Macadam-paved road; usually presenting thick marginal vegetation 37
35 Housing complex; near a dumpster; surrounded by native vegetation 26
36 Housing complex 9
37 Housing complex 10
38 Boundaries of the property 14
39 Occurrence without record of the location 34
40 PR-160 without any details about the location 29
FIGURE 2: Detail of the Fazenda Monte Alegre, state of Paraná showing the spots of occurrences of run-overs on the PR-160
and macadam-paved roads
Continuation - Table 1

200Technical – Scientific Articles Natureza & Conservação - vol. 7 - n.1 - April 2009 - pp. 195-207
Tânia Zaleski - Vlamir Rocha - Sérgio Adão Filipaki - Emygdio Leite de Araujo Monteiro-Filho
most affected species were Mazama gouazoubira,
Tayassu tajacu, Cerdocyon thous, Hydrochaeris
hydrochaeris, and Tamandua tetradactyla, which
represented a loss of over 70% of all the record-
ed weight (TABLE 2).
The PR-160 road had the greatest number of
run-overs: 66.2% of the total. From the seven
locations identified as having the most occur-
rences of run-overs, five were located on the
PR-160. Location five was responsible for
6.32% of the total of run-overs, and the most
affected species was the marsupial Didelphis
albiventris. Location 29, which presented
5.66% of the run-overs, was located on a non-
paved road that presented a heavy traffic of
vehicles until January 1999. After this date,
the flux was greatly reduced because of the
de-activation of the housing complex that this
road gave access to. The run-overs decreased
from an average of six per year, between 1994
and 1998, to approximately two per year, be-
tween 1999 and 2002. Location 23 represented
5.49% of the total found in the study and the
species most affected were Mazama gouazoubira,
Nasua nasua, Cerdocyon thous, Tamandua
tetradactyla, and Eira barbara. Location 8 was
responsible for 4.49% of the run-overs, with
the Mazama gouazoubira being the most affec-
ted species. On location 9, Cerdocyon thous,
TABLE 2: Number (n) and weight (kg) of ran-over mammals, between 1994 and 2002, in the Fazenda Monte Alegre, state of Paraná.
Order Family Species No. Weight
(kg)
Didelphimorphia Didelphidae
Didelphis albiventris
48 67
Didelphis aurita
812
Chiroptera Phyllostomidae Chrotopterus auritus 1 0,1
Primates Cebidae
Alouatta clamitans
216
Xenarthra Myrmecophagidae Myrmecophaga tridactyla 6 138
Tamandua tetradactyla
61 396
Dasypodidae
Dasypus septemcinctus
35
Dasypus novemcinctus
65 325
Euphractus sexcinctus
13 65
Lagomorpha Leporidae
Lepus europaeus
13 39
Sylvilagus brasiliensis
77
Rodentia Erethizontidae
Sphiggurus villosus
35
Caviidae
Cavia aperea
11
Hydrochaeridae
Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris
10 500
Agoutidae
Agouti paca
110
Dasyproctidae
Dasyprocta azarae
515
Carnivora Canidae
Chrysocyon brachyurus
369
Cerdocyon thous
75 525
Procyonidae
Procyon cancrivorus
13 104
Nasua nasua
83 332
Mustelidae
Eira barbara
20 100
Galictis cuja
24
Lontra longicaudis
112
Felidae
Puma concolor
5300
Leopardus tigrinus
11 33
Artiodactyla Tayassuidae
Tayassu tajacu
35 700
Cervidae
Mazama gouazoubira
102 2346
Mazama nana
234
Total 601 ~6,200

201Technical – Scientific Articles Natureza & Conservação - vol. 7 - n.1 - April 2009 - pp. 195-207
Run-over of wild mammals in the area of Telêmaco Borba, Paraná, Brazil
Dasypus novemcinctus, and Mazama gouazoubira
were the most common species. On location
35, there were 26 run-overs, and the Nasua
nasua was the most run-over species, on
location 17, the most run-over species in the
25 occurrences recorded was Tamandua
tetradactyla.
In relation to the type of marginal vegetation,
taking into account only run-overs occurring
in 2002, the greatest incidences were ob-
served when one of the margins was covered
with Paraná Pine and the other with eucalyp-
tus, or when both margins were covered with
pine trees (TABLE 3).
TABLE 3: Marginal vegetation present on run-over loca-
tions in the Fazenda Monte Alegre, state of Paraná, in
2002.
Type of vegetation No. of occurrences %
Paraná pine and Eucalyptus 13 20.3
Paraná pine and pine trees 3 4.7
Eucalyptus and Eucalyptus 7 10.9
Eucalyptus and Native vegetation 6 9.4
Eucalyptus and pine trees 10 15.6
Native vegetation and Paraná pine1 1.7
Native vegetation and
Native vegetation 4 6.2
Native vegetation and pine trees 7 10.9
Pine trees and pine trees 13 20.3
Total 64 100
The years of the greatest incidence of run-
overs were 2002 and 1997, and there was no-
ticeable gradual increase in run-over num-
bers during the nine years of the study (FIG-
URE 3A). Spring was the season in which
most run-overs were recorded (c2=10.75;
g.l.=3; P<0.01 FIGURE 3B) and the most af-
fected species was the Tamandua tetradactyla,
followed by the Mazama gouazoubira. Variation
was also significant over months (c2= 25.98;
g.l.= 11; P<0.005; FIGURE 3C), with July pre-
senting fewer run-overs and November pre-
senting more. The most affected species were
Tamandua tetradactyla and Cerdocyon thous in
July, and Dasypus novemcinctus and Nasua
nasua in November.
Distribution along the year was verified for
the most ran-over species. For instance, for
Didelphis albiventris, the months with the
greatest incidence of run-overs were October
to December. For Tamandua tetradactyla,
Tayassu tajacu, Cerdocyon thous and Mazama
gouazoubira, run-overs occurred at the same
frequency over the year. Dasypus novemcinctus
and Nasua nasua run-overs, on the other
hand, concentrated in November.
English
FIGURE 3: A) Number of run-overs per year in the
Fazenda Monte Alegre, state of Paraná. B) Number of
run-overs per season. C) Number of run-overs per month.
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2004
Years
Number of individuals
Number of individuals
Number of individuals
0
15
30
45
60
75
90
105
120
Fall Win Spr Sum
Seasons
Months
30
0
60
90
120
150
180
210
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC
20
0
40
60
80
100

202Technical – Scientific Articles Natureza & Conservação - vol. 7 - n.1 - April 2009 - pp. 195-207
Tânia Zaleski - Vlamir Rocha - Sérgio Adão Filipaki - Emygdio Leite de Araujo Monteiro-Filho
DISCUSSION
Run-overs represent a primary cause of death
on roads and, in relation to mammals, esti-
mates done in the past point to 159,000 ran-
over individuals per year in the Netherlands
(Forman & Alexander, 1998) and 2,700 in the
Brazilian Cerrado, taking into account only
mid-sized and large mammals (Vieira, 1996).
This study found out a significant number of
mid-sized and large mammals that were ran-
over on roads in central-eastern Paraná. In
spite of the fact that a specific method for the
study was not followed, and the methods ap-
plied to other studies do not allow for more
profound comparisons, some inferences
could be made.
Few studies are known to be made in the state
that deal with run-over of the wild fauna; two
of them were done on the margins of the
Iguaçu National Park (Lima & Obara. 2004;
Cândido-Junior et al, 2002) and another took
into consideration species of reptilians ran-
over on the roads near the Morro da Mina
Nature Reserve, in Guaraqueçaba (Silva et al.,
2007). However, similar studies in the area
covered by this study are not known.
The number of ran-over mammals that was
obtained might be underestimated, even with
the daily collection of carcasses on the main
roads that cross the property. Several animals
that collide with vehicles might fall off the
road or move outside the road, and die with-
out being detected. Besides, many carcasses,
specially of small species, are quickly with-
drawn from the tarmac by carrion birds such
as Caracara plancus, Coragyps atratus,
Sarcoramphus papa, and Mivalgo chimachima
(Lodé, 2000; Cândido Júnior et al., 2002; and
Rodrigues et al., 2002), that were sighted in
the study area. There are also animals that are
run-over on purpose and collected to be eat-
en (V.R. personal observation).
Among the species run-over in the Fazenda
Monte Alegre, the species that stand out are
Alouatta clamitans, Chrysocyon brachyurus,
Leopardus tigrinus, Mazama nana,
Myrmecophaga tridactyla, and Puma concolor,
because they are listed on IBAMA’s Official
List of Endangered Mammals in Brazil
(MMA, 2006) and in the Red Book of
Endangered Fauna in the State of Paraná
(Mikich & Bérnils, 2004). Besides them, there
are also other species that stand out, such as
Chrotopterus auritus, Dasypus novemcinctus,
Lontra longicaudis, Mazama gouazoubira,
Tayassu tajacu, Sylvilagus brasiliensis and
Tayassu pecari which are endangered as well
in the state (Mikich & Bérnils, 2004). Several
of these species no longer find appropriate re-
production conditions due to the destruction
of their natural habitats and/or the fact that
they present low reproductive potential
(Margarido, 2002). Thus, loss of individuals
through run-over might have serious effects
on local populations.
The damages caused to the fauna by run-
overs expressed on weight show that even
species with low numbers of run-overs had
significant losses, as is the case of the Puma
concolor that, despite having only five ran-
over individuals, is responsible for 4.83% of
lost weight. Besides the effects on the fauna
that have already been discussed, Bissonette
& Adair (2008) call attention to greater eco-
nomic and human losses in accidents that in-
volve large mammals. In this type of collision,
damage to vehicles is greater, and the
wounds on humans are increased, when com-
pared to smaller animals. According to
Forman et al. (2003), collisions with large ver-
tebrates represent one of the greatest risks to
road safety.
Despite the fact that it was not possible to ver-
ify the speed reached by vehicles on the main
roads in the property, it was observed that
many surpassed the maximum allowed speed,
especially on the PR-160. High speed on the
roads seems to be one of the main causes of
run-overs, since there is no time for the driver
to break or to swerve from the animal and
does not allow the animal to run away. Vehicle
speed, along with traffic, had already been
mentioned by several authors as probably the
most important factors that explain collision

203Technical – Scientific Articles Natureza & Conservação - vol. 7 - n.1 - April 2009 - pp. 195-207
Run-over of wild mammals in the area of Telêmaco Borba, Paraná, Brazil
with wild animals (Trombulak & Frissell, 2000;
Clevenger et al., 2003; Rolley & Lehman, 1992;
Fahrig et al., 1995; Inban & Mayer, 1999; Noss,
2002; Joyce & Rahoney, 2001).
Some common features can be observed on
the locations that presented a great number of
run-overs. Sinuous sections, such as the one
found in locations 5, 8, and 9, are more sus-
ceptible to run-overs, since visibility is re-
duced (Dodd Junior et al., 2004). The presence
of water courses near roads, observed on loca-
tions 5 and 23, serves as an attraction for ani-
mals that seek these areas as water sources.
Areas presenting thick marginal vegetation,
observed on several sections of the PR-160
and other roads in this study, are associated to
high incidence of run-overs. Studies show that
there is a trend of run-overs of mammals on
roads that present thick marginal vegetation,
because this coverage gives more protection
and safety for the animals to approach the
roads. In locations where vegetation is short,
animals feel more exposed and are discou-
raged to cross (Hodson, 1962; Bellis & Graves,
1971; Benneti, 1991).
Other locations with high run-over incidence
are the roads near housing complexes (Lagoa
and Harmonia). The most affected species in
these locations are generally animals that
feed from leftovers common in urban areas,
such as Didelphis albiventris and Nasua nasua.
In these instances, these species end up cros-
sing roads in order to access these locations
and are frequent run-over victims.
Feeding habits, reproductive strategies, and
living area, characteristic of each species
might make them more vulnerable in specific
periods and/or locations. Therefore, basic bi-
ology of affected species must be taken into
consideration in the moment measures for
decreasing run-overs are adopted. In the
studied area, a concentration of run-overs
was observed during springtime and sum-
mertime. Species such as Didelphis albiventris
and Nasua nasua present a reproductive peri-
od that also includes the warmer months
(Rossi et al., 2006; Cheida et al., 2006), leading
individuals to move more in the area, making
them more susceptible to run-overs. For o-
ther species such as Tamandua tetradactyla and
Dasypus novemcinctus, greater locomotion
during these periods is associated to the
search for food. These species feed on insects
(Medri et al., 2005) that become more active
during this season (Borror et al., 1989). The
peak of activity of these animals occurs pre-
dominantly in the dusk (Medri et al, 2005), a
time when driver visibility is lower, increa-
sing run-over possibility.
Cerdocyn thous, the third most run-over mam-
mal, had its occurrences distributed over the
year, as it was observed by Viera (1996) in
roads of Central Brasil and in the Iguaçu
National Park by Ribeiro & Monchiski (1998)
and by Cândido Junior et al. (2002) and in
roads in the state of Santa Catarina (Cherem
et al., 2007). The high mortality rate of these
animals is associated to their crepuscular and
nocturne habits (Cheida et al., 2005) and, be-
cause it is an opportunistic generalist animal
(Facure & Monteiro-Filho, 1996) which feeds
on carcasses on the roads, it becomes more
susceptible to run-overs.
For Tayassu tajacu, run-overs seem to be asso-
ciated to the large living areas of the species
(Tiepolo & Tomas, 2005), that include the
roads in the study area (personal observa-
tion). For Mazama gouazoubira, the high inci-
dence of run-overs during the year seems to
be associated to its feeding habits, since the
species is attracted to the road margins to
feed from the marginal vegetation (Bellis &
Graves, 1971; Carbaugh, 1970).
The real impact of the run-overs on mammal
populations is difficult to be assessed, once
we do not know the population size of the
majority of the species. Some frequently run-
over species might also be abundant and the
size of the population might be little affected
by collisions. But certainly, for some species,
mortality on roads is an important factor in
the reduction of populational density
(Rodrigues et al., 2002).
English

204Technical – Scientific Articles Natureza & Conservação - vol. 7 - n.1 - April 2009 - pp. 195-207
Tânia Zaleski - Vlamir Rocha - Sérgio Adão Filipaki - Emygdio Leite de Araujo Monteiro-Filho
The effects of roads on the animals depend on
several variables, such as the type and abun-
dance of fauna in the area, the type of road,
traffic volume, and the time of the year,
among others. Surveys done during short pe-
riods of time do not portray the reality of the
effects of roads over the fauna. The extrapola-
tion of the values obtained during only one
time of the year, or estimates of the number of
deaths in a region based on data obtained in
others must be avoided, under the risk of in-
terpretations that lead to even greater da-
mages to local fauna.
Animal management on roads is conflicting,
because either permeability between areas
around a road is allowed or a management
that prevents run-overs is promoted (Dodd
Junior et al., 2004). The building of roads
must foresee the necessity and create mecha-
nisms that allow permeability of the local
wild fauna, without making them more vul-
nerable to run-overs. Dodd Junior et al. (2004)
suggests that one of the best alternatives for
roads under construction is the placement of
underpasses at frequent intervals which give
opportunity for animals of different body
sizes to use them.
For existing roads, such as those in the study
area, actions must be taken that minimize
run-overs but that do not make it impossible
for animals to move between margins. Many
of the run-overs in the study area could be
avoided by reduction of speed of the vehicles.
In order that this measure is put into effect, it
is necessary strictest control by the Highway
Patrol, along with the placement of speed re-
ducers such as radars or road bumps. These
reducers must be placed near the locations
with greatest incidence of run-overs, which
have been previously pointed out.
Education campaigns are indicated; however,
it is necessary that they are done in a more in-
tense fashion and have a national reach. It
must be stressed, in these campaigns, that the
damages are not caused only to the fauna, but
also to people and vehicles involved in the
collision. It is also important that emphasis is
given to this fact during drivers’ courses
(Rodrigues et al., 2002).
According to Dodd Junior et al. (2004), the
margins should be widened on curves, where
visibility is reduced, in order to discourage
crossing by animals. However, the authors
suggest that in straight sections the coverage
must extend very close to the road, because in
these spots visibility by drivers is greater and
this action does not reduce fauna permeability.
Aknowledgements
We are grateful to the Klabin S.A. board of di-
rectors for allowing the use of the study area
and data. To Reginaldo Assêncio Machado,
for his contribution to the manuscript. This
study received grants from the CNPq-
Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento
Científico e Tecnológico (E.L.A. Monteiro-
Filho).
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