Relação entre humanos e primatas (Sapajus sp.) às margens do Rio São Francisco, Nordeste, Brasil

The recurrent alterations of natural habitats promoted by humans increase their proximity to the wild fauna, which favors, among other things, the interactions between humans and nonhuman primates. Ethnoprimatology studies these interactions, taking into account that they have been occuring for a long period of time. It is important to understand the perceptions and attitudes of the residents of the Vila Nobre neighborhood in the city of Paulo Afonso, State of Bahia, in relation to the Galician capuchin monkeys (Sapajus sp.) in order to clarify the socio-environmental factors of this relationship. Thus, to characterize the residents' perceptions and attitudes regarding the recent occurrence of the Galician capuchin monkey, the present study aims at the identification of conflicts and their possible causes. The study was conducted through semi-structured interviews as well as informal conversations with local residents between May 2012 and July 2015. Respondents were residents of the neighborhood since their childhood. All interviewees (N = 21) stated that these monkeys had never occurred in the neighborhood before 2011. The great majority of the interviewees (95.4%) associate the occurrence of the monkeys with local fruit plantations. The monkeys invade orchards, feeding on all cultivated items, and when unsatisfied, they invade residences in search of food. In response, some residents (14.2%) adopted aggressive measures towards the invading monkeys. All interviewees consider the Galician capuchin monkeys important to nature. The interactions between the human beings and the Galician capuchin monkeys are generally peaceful as positive feelings stand out to the negative ones. Therefore, the scenario is favorable to the adoption of environmental educational aimed at the protection of the Galician capuchin monkeys and their habitat, as well as the protection of the residents and their residences, providing improvements in the cohabitation relationship between humans and primates