U.S. Department of Agriculture: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Date of this Version
2018
Citation
Young, J.K., D.L. Bergman, and M. Ono. 2018. Bad dog: feral and free-roaming dogs as agents of conflict. Animal Conservation 21(4):285-286.
doi: 10.1111/acv.12438
Abstract
Domestic dogs are ubiquitous where humans reside. While typically considered a companion animal, their ability to thrive as feral and free-roaming animals often results in conflict with wildlife and is an impediment to conservation goals (Gompper, 2013). Home, Bhatnagar & Vanak (2018) provides evidence for this in India, illustrating the role of feral and free-roaming dogs as an invasive species with negative impacts on endemic wildlife, including threatened and endangered species. The authors found that the majority of wildlife attacks by dogs happen when dogs are not with people. It seems that this is the true canine conundrum: humans value dogs as companions, but the consequences are high for endemic wildlife when dogs do not have human companions.