TOXOPLASMOSIS IN AN URBAN PARK: AN EDUCATIONAL STRATEGY FOR PROMOTING HEALTH AND SPECIES CONSERVATION

Abstract

The present work describes a University extension project developed at the Bosque Rodrigues Alves Zoobotanical Garden of the Amazon (BRAJZA), in Belém do Pará, focusing on toxoplasmosis as an educational intervention strategy aimed at promoting health and the conservation of wild fauna. The initiative was motivated by deaths, which occurred in 2022, of non-human primates of the genus Saimiri, confirmed in the laboratory as cases of acute toxoplasmosis. The most probable hypothesis about the source of infection is the association of the abandonment of infected domestic cats inside the park, evidence of the interface between animal health, environmental health and human behavior. The project was part of doctoral activities in the Graduate Program in Animal Health in the Amazon (PPGSAAM), at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), and was carried out between May and August 2025, with the participation of the doctoral student and students of Veterinary Medicine at UFPA. The actions included environmental and health education aimed at visiting the public, through lectures, workshops, puppet theater, interactive games, comic books, folders, banners, models and the creation of a social network with QR Code to expand the informational reach. Increased awareness of responsible ownership and zoonotic risks was observed, as well as strengthening of university-society articulation and consolidation of a replicable educational model. The evaluation took place continuously, through systematized records and self-evaluation, showing a positive impact on academic training and on the approximation with the community. The project reaffirms the inseparability between teaching, research and extension, promoting accessible knowledge and socio-environmental responsibility.