Políticas públicas de proteção animal em municípios do Cariri Paraibano: mapeamento e avaliação.

Abstract

Throughout the XIXth and XXth centuries, Brazil faced outbreaks of two serious zoonoses associated with pets: rabies and leishmaniasis. Until the early 2000s, although it had already been proven ineffective, the capture and extermination of stray dogs and cats was adopted as a solution for proliferation of these zoonoses. Homeless animals were seen as unimportant and their welfare was not considered relevant, but changes in human-pets relationships stimulated moral consideration towards them (LIMA, 2016). In recent decades, the extermination policy was prohibited in several brazilian cities and states, until it was vetoed all over country by Law Nº 14.228/21. Thus, arises the necessity of public policies seeking what the World Health Organization (WHO) called single health, which promotes, at the same time, human health, animal welfare and environmental balance. This is the scenario in which I analyze government actions for the population management of dogs and cats in three municipalities in Cariri region of Paraiba: Coxixola, Serra Branca and Sumé, proposing to evaluate such measures according to the indications of World Health Organization and current parameters of animal welfare and unique health. To achieve it, I used a qualitative approach based on a bibliographic review through the literature, with emphasis on Garcia (2005), Lima and Luna (2012), Garcia et al. (2012), Lima (2016), Lemos (2021). Then, I carried out documentary research through consultations with the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ministry of Health, state, federal and municipal laws and the official websites of the municipalities studied. Finally, to collect specific data about the cases studied, I conducted semi-structured interviews. In all, three protectors, three veterinarians, two public managers in political positions and four civil servants were interviewed. Complementarily, I carried out field observations in the municipalities of Sumé (where I observed the functioning of CASTRAPET) and Coxixola (in the shelter and in the veterinary clinic maintained by the municipal government). All municipalities studied have an anti-rabies vaccination policy, the municipality of Sumé has a neutering program (CASTRAPT) and in Coxixola there is a municipal shelter and a municipal veterinary clinic (also with a neutering program), but in Serra Branca there has been little progress beyond rabies prevention. The results shows common problems to the three municipalities, such as frequent dogs and cats abandonment in public places, absence of coercive mechanisms against those who practice abandonment, tutored animals circulating freely on streets and absence of actions to encourage adoption of adult animals, such as educational measures on responsible ownership. There are also some problems regarding effectiveness and efficiency of services offered in Coxixola and Sumé, which can be improved by adopting indications extracted from the literature on population management of dogs and cats. Thus, it becomes necessary for municipalities to carry out preventive and integrative actions that are guided by population management guidelines already tested in other places in the world and in Brazil.