By Andrea Hargraves 
tracking The conversation started last month [1]I will invite you back to the year before the Covid-19 pandemic arrived here. The pandemic, by the way, is not over yet.
In fact, there is an arc: vaccinating children is already licensed by Anvisa. According to Fiocruz, in today’s figures, a Brazilian child dies of Covid-19 every two days. That’s a lot, guys. When the authorities finally commit to making vaccinations available to younger children, please don’t forget to take your children and daughters to the vaccination centres. Oh, by the way II, mission, for the love of all the gods and goddesses make sure your children are vaccinated against polio and other diseases for which vaccines are available. Brazil has always been a model for the world in terms of vaccination campaigns, but unfortunately, rates have fallen a lot, which means the return of eradicated diseases.
Going back to our conversation, the last time I went to São Paulo was in 2019, when, with great pleasure, I presented at University of Sao Paulo (USP) Work on the opinion of scholars, based on Caricature. For those who are curious to see the summary over here [2].
Well, having arrived at the Sao Paulo bus station early in the morning, I had a little time to “tourist” briefly before going to USP and decided to meet Batman Alleyin Villa Maddalena. Between us, it was so fruitful, that I was able to publish an article about animals (including some insects) in the art exhibited there. Perhaps in the future I will write more about it. For those who wish to apply, the article can be accessed here. [3].
Well, I took an Uber and drove to Batman Alley. On the way, I talked to the driver. A few days ago, the public press reported [4] An extraordinary fact. Due to the influence of local pollution and the fires that were taking place at that time in the Amazon, the sky in São Paulo darkened – the day turned into night! Curious, I asked the fellow driver how the experience was. He said it’s not all that. eased:
– What do you mean friend? I saw in the news, they showed pictures of the back completely dark, as if it was night.
– If she is – He said. They already say that because of the fires in the Amazon, far from hell from here …
– They say no, my friend! – I replied – This is a fact. Everything is connected, yes. Experts say an event in the Amazon, or elsewhere, could have very remote repercussions indeed. it’s the truth.
– Ah, you always appeal to the ‘experts’… stop listening to what these people are saying – It’s over, when we got to the destination.
Hence those who are in the sciences have a reality check. Through a series of events – both accidental and deliberate – there is a dangerous disbelief in scientific information. Something that is not new and has the expected interference of political authorities, with baseless attacks on institutions with notorious knowledge, such as INPE [5] and Vucrose [6]something that has been reinforced in times of Covid-19 in relation to Fucruz [7] and for Butantan [8]. The result of this is the absurd growth of completely insane doctrines that every minimally aware person thinks have been clarified, such as creationAnd the anti-vaccinationAnd the Terraplanismo And the denial of science Generally [9].
Insect smuggling
But what does this have to do with insects? everybody. It is possible that everyone who works with insects has already received some “strange” requests for friendship on social networks, especially on Facebook. Facebook. Friend requests from people who are not part of the usual friendship circle or professionals, foreigners, almost always from tropical countries in Africa and Asia. Sites of high entomological diversity, featuring distinctive, amazing, interesting and attractive insect fauna. The same is the case in Brazil. When you look at the profile of a friendship seeker, you will immediately see the taste of insects, especially large, handsome, and morphologically perverted ones. Oops, there are two points in common with the applicant: concern for insects!
Given this, the most natural thing in the world is to accept the request. When he does, as a rule, soon a message arrives from his new friend: offer to sell beetlesAnd the butterfliesAnd the locusts Or other insects that are considered attractive. The practice is illegal in many countries, including Brazil, but it is very profitable [10].
Insect smuggling also goes in the opposite direction, from Brazil abroad, and is often the subject of condemnations and articles in animal news [11]. Some time ago, it was common for souvenir shops to offer tourists, for example, dishes and plates decorated with butterfly wings. [12] And other things, of questionable taste, made from parts of real insects, obtained illegally. It should be noted that since there is a large part of the markets supplying smuggled insects in countries with enormous economic problems, the problem also acquires the dark colors of social inequality.
I mentioned above that this illegal practice of marketing insects is very profitable, but it is necessary to emphasize that all profits go to the powerful, the big human traffickers, and the real illegal capitalists. As in almost everything related to humanity, customers (in this case, collectors and hunters) are left with only crumbs.
Talking about the huntIt is impossible not to notice the strong pressure that has been done until the executive and legislative authorities find a way to allow such harmful practice [13], which will have dire consequences for the preservation of biodiversity in Brazil. Even for insects, which are clearly not the target of lobbyists, the damage would be enormous. Just like the Uber driver at the start of our conversation today, no advocate of disguised deniability wanted to notice, not many people understand that, in nature, everything is connected. Charismatic animals, certainly the preferred target of hunters, when their numbers are reduced, will affect all the networks and chains of natural relationships in which they are involved. Which, necessarily, will end up littering the bugs.
Science teaches us this. We have also learned that in order to preserve the planet we live on, it is necessary to conserve all biodiversity, as well as all natural resources. Everything is connected. So if you really like insects, don’t buy and don’t sell. Breaking the chain of animal trafficking. And join us in the fight to keep hunting in Brazil. It’s a matter of survival – including our lives.
# Election 2022
Finally, I renew the invitation I made last month. We are in the process of mapping the fate of Brazil for the next four years. Seems like a short time and it really is, at least to think about the reconstruction. But to destroy what we have left, four years is more than enough. Remember that the defense of biodiversity and natural resources cannot be separated from the social issue. Everything is connected, and there is no way around it. Keep this in mind when voting.
But before voting, check your candidate’s opinion on the environment and natural resources, and consult the excellent initiative #vote for mehere from animal news [14]. Voting is not only for yourself or your own interests, but also for those who have no voice. Like insects. As well as animals, plants, fungi, protists, bacteria … a voice for life. Say no to hunting.
references
[1] https://faunanews.com.br/2022/09/21/insetos-nao-estao-a-venda-parte-1/
[2] https://jornadas.eca.usp.br/caderno_de_resumos_6_jornadas.pdf
[3] Da-Silva, ER & Silva, TBNR 2019. Zoological Urbanities: Batman’s Alley. the witch 3 (2): 21-34.
[4] https://www.correibraziliense.com.br/app/noticia/brasil/2019/08/19/interna-brasil,778049/dia-vira-noite-em-sao-paulo-devido-a-poluicao-e- burnt see pictures. shtml
[5] https://g1.globo.com/jornal-nacional/noticia/2019/08/02/apos-embate-com-bolsonaro-sobre-desmatamento-diretor-do-inpe-anuncia-exoneracao.ghtml
[6] https://g1.globo.com/jornal-nacional/noticia/2019/05/29/governo-censura-pesquisa-da-fiocruz-sobre-uso-de-drogas-no-brasil.ghtml
[7] https://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/2021/11/05/bolsonaro-retira-condecoracao-de-pesquisador-contrario-ao-uso-da-cloroquina-para-covid.ghtml
[8] https://www.reuters.com/article/saude-covid-bolsonaro-vacina-canelou-idLTAKBN2762GE
[9] https://www.uol.com.br/vivabem/noticias/redacao/2021/01/15/o-que-esta-por-tras-do-negaísmo.htm
[10] https://www.nationalgeographicbrasil.com/animais/2019/10/contrabando-insetos-aranha-escorpiao-besouro-trafico-ilegal-animais-exoticos
[11] http://faunanews.blogspot.com/2011/05/o-trafico-de-animais-tambem-acontece.html
[12] https://www.renctas.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/REL_RENCTAS_pt_final.pdf
[13] https://maternatura.org.br/em-meio-a-ineditos-esforcos-dos-poderes-publicos-para-a-liberacao-da-caca-no-brasil-abaixo-assinado-registra-mais-de- 1 million signatures against practice
[14] https://faunanews.com.br/2022/09/05/fauna-news-lanca-o-votepormim-saiba-quem-tem-propostas-para-a-fauna-na-eleicao/
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