PARTY IN THE PARK

Feeding the coatis has led to a population explosion in one Brazilian city

- MURRAY COOPER

IT'S A SUNNY SUNDAY in Mangabeiras Municipal Park, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. In spite of the pandemic, the park is crowded, and for good reason - it is one of the largest urban parks in Latin America and a valuable green lung for the city's residents. Children run around the Praça das Águas (Waters Square) with balloons and candyfloss, while their parents rest and cool down with ice creams.

Strolling up to the Ilhas do Passatempo (Pastime Islands) – a pleasant picnic area in the woods – I spy a different kind of movement. A long tail, striped yellow and black, emerges from a rubbish bin. Seconds later, I spot another tail, followed by a long snout and a charismatic little face resembling a cross between a fox and a raccoon. There’s a black mask over the snout and white dots around the eyes. The ears are short and rounded; the limbs are stocky with strong claws. These are ringtailed coatis, a medium-sized carnivore related to raccoons and kinkajous.

Before I know it, several dozen of them have surrounded me and the visitors enjoying their Sunday treats. They move fast, jumping between bins in search of food scraps, and the bolder ones even invade a picnic that has been left unattended, making off with a bag of bread and cheese. By the time their victims realise, the coatis are already in the trees, sharing the loot.

I don’t escape, either. As I turn to photograph the action, a sneaky individual seizes my lunch – a sandwich inside a bag – and runs to the safety of the forest. I’ve been mugged by coatis!