Bat attacks on humans have been reported in the municipality of Curuçá, precisely
around and within the Mãe Grande Extractive Reserve. This work aims to understand
the space-time perception and the dynamics of aggressions by blood-sucking bats in
humans in an extractive reserve area in the Amazon. As a methodological procedure,
documentary and article references were collected. Oral interviews were also
conducted with the oldest social actors and with individuals who had already been
attacked from the communities visited. Individuals who confirmed that they had been
assaulted by bats were georeferenced. The most affected are artisanal fishermen who
live with their families or stay for seasons on the islands and beaches to fish for crab,
fish or shrimp. In general, the interviewees do not relate the alteration of the landscape
to the increase in aggressions, but they highlight the reduction of some animal species
in this environment. However, it was possible to identify locations where aggressions
have not occurred for at least 10 years associated with the introduction of electrical
energy. In locations where there is no electricity, individuals with recent attacks have
been identified. In the fishermen's perception, alcoholism is an important factor for the
exposure of these individuals. It identifies the need for educational work for the
population that is attacked, and the recognition of public policies for those individuals
who become more vulnerable to bats.
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