Disponible para usuarios de ECOSUR con su clave de acceso

Cattle ranching is one of the main production activities in the Neotropics that has unavoidably led to cattle exposure to the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) and rabies virus. Although many studies have assessed this issue, the influence of environmental characteristics associated with land use and social and production constraints have received little attention. We used satellite imagery classification to identify a gradient of landscape disturbance and analyzed the effects of cattle management and landscape structure on common vampire bat abundance and feeding prevalence. Evidence of the common vampire bat feeding on cattle was common in the study area: 87.5% of the ranchers interviewed claimed to have experienced this problem. The abundance and feeding prevalence of the common vampire bat was lower in landscapes dominated by open fields, scarce forest cover, and agricultural land. Bat abundance was positively associated with the presence of streams in the proximity of grazing areas, whereas cave’s presence was associated with higher feeding prevalence. We suggest that cattle grazing should avoid the proximity of streams, caves, and forests as much as possible, as these conditions increase the exposure of cattle to the common vampire bat and the potential for feeding, which can increase the likelihood of rabies virus transmission. Inglés