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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics
Volume 11 - 2024 |
doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1417458
Spatial distribution and population dynamics of free-roaming (stray and semi-domiciled) dogs in a major Brazilian city
Provisionally accepted- 1 City Hall of Foz do Iguaçu, Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil
- 2 Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana, Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, Brazil
- 3 University of British Columbia, Kelowna, Canada
- 4 Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, United States
- 5 Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
Although estimate models have been proposed to determine free-roaming (stray and semi-domiciled) dog populations, to date no study has focused on the three major border areas of Brazil. Therefore, the present study assessed the free-roaming dog population of Foz do Iguaçu, a major far-west Brazilian city located in a three-border area (Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay), which is considered among the top 5 Brazilian tourist destinations. Three capture-release samples populations with a 6-month interval and 10-day duration were performed, totaling 18 months, between 2018 and 2019. A total of 1,273 dogs were estimated at the first (95% Confidence Interval 468-2,078 dogs), 904 at the second (95% CI 452-1,355 dogs) and 1,564 at the third (95% CI 521-2,607 dogs) capture in this area, suggesting a population density of 18.4 dogs/km 2 (6.1-30.6 dogs/km 2 , 95% CI). Of all free-roaming dogs, 452/1,125 (40.2%) were stray with no confirmed ownership or household, 672/1,125 (59.8%) had a known origin, of which 625/1,125 (55.6%) were semi-domiciled with ownership or a household, 36/1,125 (3.2%) were neighborhood dogs with maintainers, and 11/1,125 (1.0%) were owned by recycling material collectors and homeless individuals. Most of the 1,125 dogs (862/1,125; 76.6%) had an ideal body condition score. The high outdoor access of owned dogs herein may be a result of cultural behavior. However, because 533/1,125 (47.4%) of the free-roaming dogs presented with clinical abnormalities, irresponsible ownership may have negatively impacted dog health and welfare. This study was the first to establish the density of free-roaming dogs, ratio of stray and semi-domiciled dogs, and their dynamics over time in Foz do Iguaçu. The findings may serve as a warning for the high level of dog outdoor access and irresponsible guardianship, which may negatively affect animal health and welfare, leading to diseases, accidents, trauma, and animal cruelty.
Keywords: shelter medicine, dog population control, dog dynamics, Animal Welfare, zoonosis
Received: 14 Apr 2024; Accepted: 15 Jul 2024.
Copyright: © 2024 de Santi, Chiba De Castro, Sibim, Lopes, Galvão, Kurtz, Biondo, Kmetiuk and Biondo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Alexander W. Biondo, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
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Alessandra C. Sibim
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