Key Findings
Free-roaming dogs were found to cluster rather than being randomly distributed, with significant gatherings around community feeders and commercial food outlets.
However, dogs tended to gather closer to community feeders than to commercial food outlets, highlighting the crucial role these feeders could play in FRD welfare management.
Summary
Brazil’s streets are home to an estimated 20 million dogs, many of which suffer from shortened lifespans due to inadequate care and act as vectors for diseases. Identifying key food sources, such as community feeders and commercial outlets, is crucial as they may influence the spatial distribution of these dogs. This identification is also vital for pinpointing optimal locations for public health interventions, such as rabies vaccination programs, ensuring that efforts to improve public health are targeted and effective.
The researchers of this study — “The Influence of Community Feeders and Commercial Food Outlets on the Spatial Distribution of Free-Roaming Dogs – A Photographic Capture and Recapture Study” — aimed to assess the impact of community feeders and commercial food outlets on the spatial distribution and ecology of free-roaming dogs (FRD) in Divinópolis, Brazil. Using a photographic capture-recapture method over one year and five sampling periods from September 2018 to September 2019, they documented sightings of FRDs in eight neighborhoods. Each sighting’s geographic coordinates were recorded, along with the locations of community feeders (defined as food provided by households either in containers or directly on the ground) and commercial food outlets. The study collected data on 554 dogs, capturing their distribution patterns across various time periods and locations.
The analysis found that free-roaming dogs were distributed in clusters rather than randomly, with significant gathering around community feeders and commercial food outlets. Kernel density maps indicated that these clusters remained stable over time, despite changes in food source locations. The median distance from dogs to community feeders was 1.2 km, compared to 1.4 km to commercial food outlets, showing that dogs gathered closer to community feeders. The authors suggest that community feeders may be more beneficial to the animals than food outlets because they offer a continuous and potentially more stable source of nutrition. Additionally, new free-roaming dogs were consistently observed throughout the year, suggesting ongoing canine abandonment or escape and highlighting a lack of responsible pet ownership.
The study emphasizes the crucial role of guardians in enhancing the welfare and controlling the population of free-roaming dogs (FRDs). The authors recommend strategically placing community feeders in areas with low human and vehicle traffic to minimize traffic accidents and disease transmission. For long-term solutions, they advocate for community-based management strategies to effectively control the FRD population and improve their overall well-being.
Miscellaneous
Year of Publication:
2023
External Link:
de Melo, S.N.; da Silva, E.S.; Ribeiro, R.A.N.; Soares, P.H.A.; Cunha, A.K.R.; de Souza Gonçalves, C.M.; Melo, F.D.S.; Horta, M.A.P.; Teixeira-Neto, R.G.; Belo, V.S. The Influence of Community Feeders and Commercial Food Outlets on the Spatial Distribution of Free-Roaming Dogs—A Photographic Capture and Recapture Study. Animals 2023, 13, 824.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13050824