Records of interactions of pumas with rural communities (n= 7) are registered from 2013 to 2017, four of them with attacks on domestic herds, which resulted in the persecution and death of the puma. In the remaining three records, without damage to domestic herds, the puma was captured, either by the community, or by the public service, and translocated by the public service to a new area. Despite the low sample size, the results revealed: (1) That, there are cases in which the population does not eliminate the feline promptly, but calls for assistance from the authorities; (2) That the authorities react as best they can to carry out translocations in spite of that, in one occasion a wild puma was sent to a zoo and in other it was killed, which requires the implementation of a standardized protocol to aid decision making in these situations. The results indicate other possible consequences: (1) That the tolerance levels of the population appear to be lower when there are losses of domestic herds; (2) A possible expansion of the puma population, as in other regions of its distribution, due to interactions in residential areas and registry near the desert coast, away from appropriate habitats.

Entre los años 2013 y el 2017, siete (7) interacciones de pumas con comunidades rurales fueron registradas, cuatro (n= 4) de las cuales incluyeron ataques a animales domésticos, y donde la respuesta de la comunidad fue la persecución y muerte del puma. En los otros tres (n 3) registros, no se reportaron daños a rebaños, y los pumas fueron capturados, o por la comunidad, o por el servicio público, y translocados por el servicio público a una nueva área. A pesar del bajo número de muestras, los resultados revelan: (1) que existen casos en los que la población no elimina al felino inmediatamente sucedida la interacción, y solicitan asistencia de las autoridades; (2) aunque las autoridades reaccionan de la mejor manera posible para efectuar translocaciones, en una ocasión un puma silvestre fue enviado a un zoológico y en la otra el puma fue abatido, lo que demanda la implementación de un protocolo para ayudar a la toma de decisiones en estas situaciones. Los resultados también indicarían: (1) que los niveles de tolerancia de la población serían menores cuando hay pérdidas de rebaños domésticos; (2) que las interacciones en áreas residenciales rurales y el registro cerca del litoral desértico, zona distante de hábitats característicos de los pumas, serían indicios de una posible expansión de las poblaciones de pumas.

Dois ataques independentes de onça-parda Puma concolor (Linnaeus, 1771) a duas espécies de canídeos são descritas neste artigo. O lobo-guará Chrysocyon brachyurus (Illiger, 1815), semiadulto e criado em cativeiro, revelou danos no crânio por perfuração de caninos e vários ferimentos no corpo depois de necrópsia. O exame de ferimentos e do local do ataque permitiram reconstituir o ocorrido com detalhe aproximado. A onça-parda agarrou o loboguará pela parte anterior usando as duas patas dianteiras, em seguida mordendo o pescoço e a parte posterior do crânio do canídeo. Pelo baixo distúrbio provocado no local, o ataque deve ter transcorrido rápido e sem muita luta. O segundo ataque foi a um cachorro doméstico, ocorrido no jardim de uma casa. Foi provocado por uma onça-parda fêmea e com deformidades, morta pelo proprietário com repetidas batidas de bastão no momento do ataque. A impossibilidade de caçar presas silvestres devido a problemas físicos foi certamente o que provocou a investida da onça. O objetivo deste artigo é o de fornecer informação sobre a interação de onças-parda com espécies que não fazem parte de sua dieta alimentar, e discutir as implicações da proximidade de onças-parda a habitações humanas.

Two independent attacks of mountain lions Puma concolor (Linnaeus, 1771) on different canid species are reported in this note. One of the canids was a sub-adult captive maned wolf Chrysocyon brachyurus (Illiger, 1815), revealing skull damaged by canine tooth perforation and several bruises along the body. Examination of the wounds and the killing site provided reasonable details on how the attack was conducted. The mountain lion grabbed the maned wolf from behind with both forepaws, and killed it with a bite at the nape of the neck and at the back of the skull. From the low disturbance of the site, the killing must have been accomplished fast and without much struggle. The second attack was on a domestic dog, in a house yard. It was carried out by a sub-adult, abnormal female mountain lion, which was killed with a club by the property owner while charging. The inability to hunt wild prey, due to physical impairment, was certainly what motivated the mountain lion to attack the domestic dog. The aim of this article is to provide information on mountain lion interactions with non-prey species, and to discuss the implications of the proximity of mountain lions to human dwellings.

Os hábitos alimentares da onça-parda, jaguatirica e outros carnívoros foram estudados na Juréia (80.000 ha), um dos maiores remanescentes de Mata Atlântica do estado de São Paulo. O estudo foi baseado na análise de fezes encontradas durante um período de amostragem de 15 meses e 415 km percorridos. A diversidade de presas encontradas nas fezes foi alta para ambos os felinos, tendo como presas mais importantes da onça-parda em freqüência de ocorrência e biomassa, o cateto e o tatu-de-rabo-mole, e marsupiais na dieta da jaguatirica. Maior freqüência de fezes de carnívoros foi encontrada distante das casas de moradores tradicionais, sugerindo um comportamento territorial evitando a proximidade da presença humana.

Food habits of puma, ocelot and other carnivores were studied in Juréia (80.000 ha), one of the largest remnants of Atlantic forest of the state of São Paulo. The study was based on the analysis of scats found during a sampling period of 15 months and 415 km traversed. The diversity of prey found was high for both felines, with higher frequency and estimated biomass of collared peccary and the greater naked-tailed armadillo in the diet of the puma, and marsupials in the diet of the ocelot. The highest frequency of carnivore scats was found distant from traditional households, suggesting avoidance behavior towards human presence.

Several reports on puma (Puma concolor) have been made in the State of Santa Catarina, Southern Brazil, most of them in remnant original habitats above 800 meters. These records show a thight relationship between the puma with altitude and mainly with habitat quality. The eastern boundary of the puma range isset by the mountain chains of Serra do Mar and Serra Geral. The definite implementation of National Parks and Reserves, studies of movements, and polimorfism analyses are suggested, in order to provide protected habitats and assure the genetic flow amongst puma populations.