08/21/2021 4:22 PM
Clarín.com
Cities
Updated 08/21/2021 4:29 PM
The most unexpected and bizarre rift girdles the residents of Nordelta, that 1,500-hectare corridor in which some
40,000 residents live,
of which a few hundred are more than
concerned by the massive presence of capybaras, herbivorous rodents that today they exhibit
with self-confidence in streets, sidewalks, gardens and open spaces, without complexes or fears.
The owners of the houses whose lots face the coast are with the creeps "because these little amphibian animals come swimming, they
enter their gardens and they make a belly with the plants, the flowers and the grass,
" say neighbors of the neighborhood. "And these people are
seeking a solution now, they cannot and do not want to wait a year or two from now
, when some ideas and reforms that are underway materialize."
It is estimated that in Nordelta, due to the monitoring that has been done in the last year,
there are about 400 capybaras, 17 percent more than in 2020
, and in two years "due to their calving system (they give birth up to twice a year, between 5 and 10 hatchlings) could
multiply uncontrollably to 3,000
, which would be a much more complex situation than now, "calculates Adelmar Funk, professor of Natural Sciences and an understanding and connoisseur of the capybara ecosystem.
Regarding the situation that has the locality of the Tigre Party in suspense, Funk does not want to enter into controversies but "this is
one gaffe after another by the man
who, without any previous forecast or environmental impact study, wanted to impose on the nature, which is taking its toll today, since those cute little characters that used to be seen with joy today are
a headache
because one attacked a pet, another destroyed a garden or one more
got into a pool "
.
Anamá Ferreira released the photo of an injured capybara and reported that a Nordelta neighbor shot him.
Funk understands that "this was going to happen sooner or later, because man overwhelmed a place naturally prepared for another ecosystem and
made the predators of capybaras disappear
, which today have no enemies because man was in charge of erasing yagüeretés, ocelots and canids, more sensitive to human presence, so the capybara saw the chance to be at ease ".
Since 2014, the Nordelta Neighborhood Association (AVN) has been registering a
growth in the population of capybaras
.
In 2019, the first intervention of the Directorate of Flora and Fauna of the province of Buenos Aires was requested, which made an inspection in Nordelta and determined that
there was no overpopulation.
This year a new inspection was requested, which was carried out in July and this time it did confirm that there was an overpopulation of capybaras.
"Homemade" capybaras: without fear or complex, they intermingle with people's lives.
"Given the indirect and direct evidence collected during the technical visit, added to the information presented in the population studies of the species, it is determined that the damage caused by the interaction of the capybaras with the inhabitants of the complex
falls within the serious category
" , indicated from the Directorate of Flora and Fauna of the Province of Buenos Aires.
Looking for a solution
"The neighborhood is busy," says Lupe, a neighbor who takes it with grace "despite the fact that my house looks to the coast and it happens to me that every day and night I come
across
a
tincho.
But since I don't have pets or children,
I have no major problems other than a little gift in the garden or the little plants eaten.
But this is not new, I
have
lived
here for ten years and the presence is constant
and growing, they are part of the DNA of this place ".
As
Clarín
learned
, ten days ago there was a meeting in La Plata, between the Directorate of Flora and Fauna (DFF), the Environmental Management team of the Municipality of Tigre, biologists from Conicet and representatives of the AVN to seek a solution to the issue. .
In this meeting, a work program based on four points was proposed: to carry out a communication plan for the neighbor,
aimed at peaceful coexistence with the fauna
;
generate specific sites to house family groups of capybaras
, with sufficient vegetation to protect and feed them.
Possible solutions are being sought, including generating specific sites to house family groups.
And two other initiatives that will take more time, because there is no immediate precedent: moving forward with
programs that control capybara reproduction
, which will be developed by a multidisciplinary team, including veterinarians and biologists.
And a proposal for
internal and external relocation.
"
Both the first and the second action are already being implemented
, while the third will advance with the times required by the analysis and empowerment of the body in question. And the fourth is a last option that is not analyzed to implement in the short or medium term ", they make known from the Nordelta Neighborhood Action.
Regarding the search for specific sites, "AVN is putting emphasis on
the creation of green spaces where the new population of capybaras can settle
. They are areas to which more vegetation can be added so that the animals can find shelter and food. Capybara families, which can have
up to 20 members,
settle in fixed places, which do not need to circulate looking for food, "they slide.
"Nordelta is like a small city in which the differences are those of any place where there are 40,000 inhabitants. What is clear is that
the point of view of those who live in an apartment
is
not the same as those who have a house. with a garden that overlooks the lake
, and therefore is more exposed to capybaras. All these points of view must be considered, "says a resident who has lived in the area for three years.
Adelmar Funk feels that a transfer or relocation would be "as a final solution, firstly because
it is not easy to catch 300 capybaras ... do you think it is easy to do it avoiding traumatic situations?
On the other hand, you have to study the destination well. that he would move them, because it would be like taking the problem elsewhere. "
For the AVN "everyone's interests must be respected, seeking a balance, and always within the framework of the law, complying with what is determined by the competent authority, in this case the Buenos Aires Fauna and Flora Directorate. Nordelta residents
have the objective is to achieve a harmonious coexistence with all the species of fauna that inhabit
the City ".
SC
Look also
Sabina Frederic and the Nordelta capybaras: "They are a way in which nature returns the damage they do to it"