Is Wildlife Going to the Dogs? Impacts of Feral and Free-roaming Dogs on Wildlife Populations

Abstract

In human-populated landscapes, dogs (Canis familiaris) are often the most abundant terrestrial carnivore. However, dogs can significantly disrupt or modify intact ecosystems well beyond the areas occupied by people. Few studies have directly quantified the environmental or economic effects of free-roaming and feral dogs. Here, we review wildlife-dog interactions and provide a case study that focuses on interactions documented from our research in Mongolia to underscore the need for studies designed to best determine how dogs affect native wildlife and especially imperiled populations. We suggest additional research, public awareness campaigns, and the exclusion of dogs from critical wildlife habitat. The application of scientific findings to management and enhanced public outreach programs will not only facilitate recovery and maintenance of wildlife populations globally but also has the potential to reduce economic losses.

MAMÍFEROS DE MÉDIO E GRANDE PORTE REGISTRADOS EM FLORESTAS DOMINADAS POR Araucaria angustifolia NA RPPN ALTO-MONTANA, SERRA DA MANTIQUEIRA

“…Pequenos roedores sinantrópicos, gatos e cachorros domésticos são reconhecidos atualmente como a causa de mais da metade das extinções modernas de aves, mamíferos e répteis, devido principalmente à predação de espécies, à competição e à disseminação de doenças (Young et al 2011, Doherty et al 2016. Campanhas de vacinação de animais domésticos residentes no entorno de áreas de conservação, e conscientização quanto a manutenção desses animais fora de área naturais podem ter efeito positivo na conservação dos ecossistemas (Young et al 2011, Lessa et al 2016) e são facilmente aplicáveis na RPPN Alto-Montana, visto que a maioria dos cães e gatos registrados pertencem à fazenda na qual a RPPN está inserida.…”

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“…As Ikh Nart was originally established specifically to conserve argali sheep , the first research project, beginning in 2000, focused on this species (Reading et al, 2003(Reading et al, , 2005aTserenbataa et al, 2004;Kenny et al, 2008;Singh et al, 2010a;Young et al, 2011;Amgalanbaatar et al, 2014). Argali function as a flagship species for our work.…”

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

“…Exotic carnivores, particularly feral and/or domestic dogs represent a serious threat to wildlife worldwide given their ability to act as predators, disease vectors, and to influence trophic dynamics (Barcala 2009, Vanak and Gompper 2009, Young et al 2011, Weston and Stankowich 2013, Ritchie et al 2014, Farris et al 2015a. Recent research in Madagascar has highlighted the ability of these exotic carnivores to negatively affect native wildlife, including altering temporal activity patterns (Gerber et al 2012a, Farris et al 2015b) and spatial distribution (Farris et al 2015c) and reducing the probability of occupancy and detection for native carnivores (Gerber et al 2012b, Farris et al 2015b).…”