Intestinal parasites control of capybaras (Hydrochaerus hydrachaeris) raised in semi-extensive system, at Senator Guimard Santos district, Acre, Brazil

Abstract

The capybara (Hydrochaerus hydrachaeris) has been arousing commercial interest for the meat and hide production through handling programs in captivity. It is known that the amount of parasites can affect the survival and the reproductive performance of the parasited animals. Most of the studies on helminthes have been addressed for the taxonomy of those parasites. In this study, capybaras were captured through the construction of snares (after obtaining permission of Ibama/AC), in order to guarantee the number of individuals wanted in the breeding stock, composed by seven adults and five cubs animals, where the adults were distributed like this: a male and six females, belonging to the same group, which were identified with microchips and also weighted. Those animals were conditioned in a picket, composed by dam area, bushes and natural vegetation (shelters). The feces analyses were achieved by Willis Molay technique (fluctuation) five days after the birth, and monthly in the first three months of animal lifespan. The no-parametric test of the Sign was applied (Siegel & Castellan Júnior, 2006) for the variable infestation degree. Great parasitic infestations are observed in the period of the rains, in the capybaras livestock, in semi-extensive system, committing the breeding of adult animals and mainly of nestlings. It takes advice six anthelmintic treatments a year, every two months for the adult animals and regarding the young of animals one week after the birth, and about one month after the second anthelmintic treatment. Keywords: Wild animals, anthelminthic treatment, intestinal parasites