Free-ranging dogs as a potential threat to Iranian mammals

Danial Nayeri,Abi Tamim Vanak,Alireza Mohammadi,Ali T Qashqaei,Matthew E Gompper

doi:10.1017/s0030605321000090

Abstract

AbstractFree-ranging domestic dogs Canis familiaris threaten wildlife species through predation, hybridization, competition for resources, and by contributing to the transmission of pathogens. The impacts of predation may be problematic, but in many regions the interactions of free-ranging dogs and wildlife are poorly studied. To determine the extent of the impacts of attacks by free-ranging dogs on Iranian mammals, we reviewed nearly 2 decades of social and traditional media reports and the scientific literature to gather data from across the country. We identified 160 free-ranging dog attacks (79 from academic articles, 14 from social media, and 67 from a variety of news websites) from 22 of the country's 31 provinces. Attacks by dogs were reported on 17 species, including nine Carnivora, six Artiodactyla, one Rodentia, and one Lagomorpha species. Most of the reported attacks on carnivores were on felids, including the Asiatic cheetah Acinonyx jubatus (n = 19), Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx (n = 18), caracal Caracal caracal (n = 10) and Pallas's cat Otocolobus manul (n = 8). Attacks on Artiodactyla were primarily reported for goitered gazelle Gazella subgutturosa (n = 47). Most of these attacks occurred within or adjacent to protected areas (n = 116, 73%), suggesting that free-ranging dogs are one of the most important human-associated threats to wildlife species even in protected landscapes. The impact of free-ranging dogs may be hampering conservation, and therefore we suggest some practical policy guidance for managing the impacts of free-ranging dogs on threatened species.

Highlights

With a population of nearly billion, domestic dogs Canis familiaris are the most ubiquitous carnivore, occurring almost everywhere humans live and even in some places where people are practically absent (Daniels & Bekoff, ; Gompper, a,b)
With an increasing global dog population and an associated expanding impact of free-ranging dogs, there is an urgent need to recognize the importance of the issue and to provide strategies for informed management of dog populations that reduces their negative effects on wild mammals (Gompper, b; Home et al, a)
We focused on documenting the spatial extent and mammal species attacked, and their national and global IUCN Red List status (Yusefi et al, )

Summary

Introduction

With a population of nearly billion, domestic dogs Canis familiaris are the most ubiquitous carnivore, occurring almost everywhere humans live and even in some places where people are practically absent (Daniels & Bekoff, ; Gompper, a,b). The movement of dogs may be restricted by their owners, many dogs spend some or all of their lives in an unrestrained state These freeranging dogs include stray and feral dogs, as well as a large portion of owned dogs. Free-ranging dogs are largely dependent on people for food and shelter, and a significant portion of these dogs live in urban contexts, there are large populations of dogs inhabiting rural areas and remote natural landscapes. In these settings, dogs have been observed to negatively affect many wildlife species, including in protected areas (Vanak et al, ; Sepúlveda et al, ; Doherty et al, ; Home et al, a). With an increasing global dog population and an associated expanding impact of free-ranging dogs, there is an urgent need to recognize the importance of the issue and to provide strategies for informed management of dog populations that reduces their negative effects on wild mammals (Gompper, b; Home et al, a)

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Conclusion