Barking up the right tree: Understanding local attitudes towards dogs in villages surrounding Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar can benefit applied conservation

Abstract

Exotic carnivores, particularly feral and domestic dogs, represent a serious threat to Madagascar's endemic fauna. We obtained information from the local community about dogs in villages in and around Ranomafana National Park (RNP), Madagascar. Surveys were conducted (N=359) to assess local opinions of dogs, reasons for owning dogs, and the willingness of dog owners to participate in spay/neuter/vaccine programs. Of surveyed individuals without dogs (N=211), 58.9% of respondents reported negative feelings towards free-roaming dogs, with only 1% of respondents identifying free-roaming dogs as a positive aspect of village life. Of individuals with dogs (N=148), 8.1% of respondents reported using their dog for hunting, and 41.2% reported that their dog had killed at least one wild animal, with 11.8% reporting that this occurred on a weekly basis. Villagers approve of spay/neuter/vaccine programs and 90.3% of respondents with dogs state they would use them if freely available. The interest in veterinary services combined with a generally negative attitude towards free-roaming dogs indicates that a spay/neuter/vaccine program would be an effective means of controlling dog populations. RÉSUMÉLes carnivores exotiques, particulièrement les chiens domestiques et ceux retournés à l'état sauvage, représentent une menace sérieuse pour la faune endémique de Madagascar. Nous avons récolté des informations auprès des communautés riveraines sur les chiens vivant dans les villages et autour du Parc National de Ranomafana (RNP) au sud-est de Madagascar. Nous avons mené des enquêtes (N=359) afin d'évaluer les avis de la communauté locale sur les chiens, les raisons pour lesquelles les gens possèdent ces animaux et la volonté des propriétaires pour s'engager dans un programme de stérilisation/vaccination canine. Les villageois qui ne possédaient pas de chiens (N=211) représen-taient 58,9 % des personnes interrogées ; ils ont rapporté avoir des sentiments négatifs envers les chiens errants et seulement 1 % des personnes interrogées ont vu un aspect positif pour la vie du village dans les chiens errants. Parmi les propriétaires de chiens (N=148), 8,1 % des personnes interrogées ont rapporté utiliser leur chien pour la chasse et 41,2% des personnes interrogées indiquent que leur chien a déjà tué au moins un animal sauvage, dont 11,8 % rapportant que cela arrivait toutes les semaines. Les villageois approuvent le programme de stérilisa-tion/vaccination canine et 90,3 % des propriétaires de chiens y auraient volontiers recours si celui-ci était gratuit et librement disponible.

Activity patterns of sympatric living exotic and endemic carnivores (the fosa) in Western Madagascar's deciduous forests

“…Such programmes have been enacted by the Mad Dog Initiative in Ranomafana and explored in Barcala's (2009) study in Ankarafantsika, where associations have been observed between reduced dog and increased fosa trapping success. Support for sterilization programmes has been reported in Ranomafana National Park, where 90% of villagers' approved the use of neuter programmes if freely available (Valenta et al, 2016). If local sentiment is similar across Madagascar, the efficacy of such programmes should be studied to examine the relationship between exotic and endemic carnivore abundance.…”

Ecological Consequences of a Millennium of Introduced Dogs on Madagascar

“…However, dogs can also transmit rabies and form a general nuisance while they scavenge (Rajeev et al, 2019). Some dog owners have reported that their dogs harass and kill C. ferox around Ranomafana (Valenta et al, 2016;Kshirsagar et al, 2020). Data from live traps and camera traps suggest that C. ferox avoids dogs in several national parks (Figure 1), which may follow from a combination of aggressive interactions and disease transmission (Dollar et al, 2007;Barcala, 2009;Gerber et al, 2012;Farris et al, 2015;Pomerantz et al, 2016;Rasambainarivo et al, 2017;Merson et al, 2019a).…”

“…Human and introduced predator threats to C. ferox are summarized in shaded area below. zebu cattle (Figure 2, Decary, 1939;Rasoloarison et al, 1995;Goodman et al, 1997;Brockman et al, 2008;Hawkins and Racey, 2008;Gardner and Davies, 2014;Valenta et al, 2016). There is no published evidence for omnivory by C. ferox beyond possible occasional fruit consumption as a source of water during the dry season (Hawkins and Racey, 2008).…”

A Mapping Study of Veterinary Literature on Perceptions and Attitudes of Female Canine Spaying

“…Changing perspectives and risks associated with spaying female dogs can be found in databases as early as 1974 (2). This last decade has seen an explosion in literature regarding perspectives and attitudes in spaying female dogs, particularly an increase in either survey or ethnographic perspectives of specific populations regarding female canine spaying practices (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13). Additionally, closer examination of a range of disease conditions has potentially been associated with early female spaying (14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29).…”