After a video of a family of capybaras taking shelter from the rain on the Udesk campus (Santa Catarina State University) in Florianopolis went viral last week, residents of the capital raised the alarm.

The post was posted to @brjordao’s Twitter profile and by this Tuesday had already amassed nearly 10,000 views and over 700 likes (13).

Capybaras save themselves from the rain at Florianopolis University. Photo: Social Networks/Disclosure/ND

Animals already familiar to students appear on campus from time to time. In six months, the family “grew a lot,” says Faed (Udesc Human Sciences Center) coordinator Everton Vieira da Silva.

“It seems that the family is growing, before there were three of them, now there are more than ten. They roam the area, I think they ‘live’ in the Itacorubi mangroves and ‘go out for a walk’ when the grass is tall or it’s raining,” says Silva.

According to the coordinator, the Faed campus parking lot is close to the Paula Ramos football field, which borders the area’s mangrove swamps, and they often show up “visiting” the university.

CAPIVARAS have invaded UDESC!!! pic.twitter.com/a2lr9PUbnI

— Brunevola (@brjordao) December 1, 2022

He explains that none of the students get close to the animals, and confesses that the place “deserves an agency visit”. “We even put up some traffic cones to protect the area. We are concerned not to change this natural cycle,” he says.

no predators

PMA (military environmental police) lieutenant Renata Bowsfield says that the appearance of capybaras exceeds the season. However, the most favorable for reproduction is the summer period.

“This is a common occurrence throughout the year. They also don’t have many predators, alligators at best, and therefore appear in greater numbers. But this is a very quiet animal, they run away from a person, so they don’t pose a particular danger, ”explains the lieutenant.

Southern South Carolina couple receive over R$6,000 in compensation after capybara accident — Photo: Pexels/Disclosure/ND

Renata also adds recommendations for residents who see this type of rodent: “This is the situation with any animal in the state, if it’s a simple collection, it’s with the IMA, and if there is environmental crime, hunting, abuse, it’s with the PMA, up to 190,” he concludes.

The IMA (Institute for the Environment) also indicates that the orientation is not to interfere with him returning to his seat. The agency confirms that there are still no capybara sightings in Florianopolis, but adds that a project for 2023 is being developed.

“It is the Fauna Floripa project that has a requirement from the IMA to track and identify this fauna for them. But so far without details, it will be next year, ”they report.

Capybaras could reach ‘plague’ levels, says IMA

Andre Klein, IMA professor and biologist at Crisium, adds that capybara breeding is “a big problem at the national level with no solution in sight.”

Klein says these rodents like to stay on open riverbanks, and population imbalances often result from open woodlands.

“In connection with the transformation of these habitats suitable for colonization by the species, the number of predators, which would be only big cats, has sharply decreased, in addition, of course, to the large reproductive capacity of the species, characteristic of rodents. “, he explains.

A family of capybaras suddenly appeared at the Joinville facility – Photo: Internet/Reproduction

He also says fencing off the area is “generally inefficient” as these animals can stray. He also says that the problem is not only in the capital of Santa Catarina, but in several places around the country.

“IBAMA and some academic institutions have even done some research and debate and attempts to standardize some procedures, but since this is a local species and a systemic issue, I think progress has not been possible,” he comments.

According to him, a possible move may even transfer the problem to another place. “Because this is a systemic problem, so the solutions are also systemic: greater conservation/restoration of coastal forests and, perhaps through public policy, habitat management,” he concludes.