Abstract
Domestic dogs threaten wildlife globally, especially other canids. The spread of infectious disease from dogs threatens Ethiopian wolves, via interference and exploitation competition. Despite increasing threats to wildlife from dogs, competition between dogs and wild carnivores is relatively unstudied. This study seeks to understand the behavior and habitat use of free-ranging dogs in the Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia, and their interactions with other park users, through focal animal follows totaling > 150 hours. Dogs used the same areas as wolves, foraged throughout wolf habitat, and aggressively interacted with wolves in their territories. Wolves were actively displaced from foraging grounds by dogs, with dogs chasing wolves both while foraging alone or when moving with livestock. Direct competition for small mammals was not sustained by these results. Female dogs may make less extensive use of wolf range; they covered significantly less distance and interacted less aggressively with wolves. Domestic dogs are increasingly present in protected areas around the globe, and this study documents their negative impact on wild carnivores—both through direct interaction and use of habitat – highlighting the implications of dog presence for wildlife conservation.
Highlights
From the High Arctic to the Arabian desert [1] there are an estimated 700 million domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) across the globe [2]
These interaction dynamics have been documented between freeroaming dogs and other wild canids [14] found that Indian fox distribution and habitat use was determined by presence of freeranging dogs, probably due to interference competition [15]
Aggression occurred irrespective of the presence of livestock. With such high numbers of free-ranging dogs using wolf habitat in BMNP, it is almost inevitable that they will interact with wolves
Summary
From the High Arctic to the Arabian desert [1] there are an estimated 700 million domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) across the globe [2]. Wolves displace coyotes (Canis latrans) from carcasses [11] red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) prevent arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) from using habitat [12] and coyotes are the main source of mortality for kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis) [13]. These interaction dynamics have been documented between freeroaming dogs and other wild canids [14] found that Indian fox distribution and habitat use was determined by presence of freeranging dogs, probably due to interference competition [15]. Medium body size and wide habitat suitability make free-ranging dogs a prime candidate for documenting exploitation competition between relatives
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