Prospects for domestic and feral cat management on an inhabited tropical island

Dias, R. A., Abrahão, C. R., Micheletti, T., Mangini, P. R., de Oliveira Gasparotto, V. P., de Jesus Pena, H. F., ... & Silva, J. C. R. 2017. Prospects for domestic and feral cat management on an inhabited tropical island. Biological Invasions, 1-15.

Cat management campaigns have been implemented on several islands worldwide. However, few successful campaigns have occurred on permanently inhabited islands. Cats are known for causing severe impacts on the native insular fauna, posing an important threat to biodiversity. Moreover, this species is also responsible for zoonosis maintenance and transmission. A thorough understanding of cat population structure (e.g., supervised vs. unsupervised) is strongly suggested as a management action on inhabited islands, as it might promote more efficient and effective management of this species. Fernando de Noronha is an archipelago in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. The total cat population on the main island was estimated at 1287 animals, most of them supervised and subsidized around inhabited areas. Free-roaming cats currently threaten the endemic terrestrial fauna of Fernando de Noronha, and the cat density found by the present work is among the highest ever recorded on an island. Using population dynamic simulations, the long-term effects of reproduction control and removal of cats from the archipelago were assessed. Removal of cats was also suggested as a necessary management strategy to achieve negative population growth. In addition, it was more cost-effective than reproduction control. However, applying both removal and sterilization strategies to this population resulted in a higher population decrease than removal alone. For these reasons, a combination of reproductive control and cat eradication should be implemented in Fernando de Noronha.

Involvement in a Northern California community on the feral cat problem

Lando, C. A. (2016). Building involvement in a Northern California community on a targeted public health issue: a service announcement on the feral cat problem in Chico.  Faculty of California State University, Chico

The primary purpose of this study is to examine the health and environmental issues caused by feral cats and to offer solutions to control the growth of feral cat colonies in a Northern California community. Research supports the claim that feral cats, or community cats are a community problem and a community’s responsibility. Therefore, the local government, local animal welfare groups, and concerned citizens need to work together to find viable solutions.
Furthermore, the City of Chico’s Animal Control Officer estimates there are approximately 14,000 feral cats living on the streets and in the parks of the city of Chico. Several animal welfare organizations have worked to reduce this number through adoption, offering permanent housing, or trapping, vaccinating, neutering and returning cats to their colonies. The city’s euthanasia policy is only in effect for sick animals brought into the shelter by citizens. Due to budget cuts and lack of space, the city cannot house abandoned or surrendered animals. Therefore, the city refers calls about feral cats to one of the other animal welfare agencies.
The results of this project have shown that a collaborative organization consisting of members of concerned citizens and animal welfare groups can offer the best solutions to the feral cat dilemma. Accessing information about the ways other communities have addressed the feral cat problem is helpful. Working together individual organizations can share strategies for implementing fundraising activities, publicity, grant writing, and other issues such as purchasing pet supplies and food.
In addition, California State University, Chico, needs to take a more active role in disseminating information to its students about not releasing cats at the end of the school year. This information should be provided during orientation and through the university’s newspaper. Research has shown that an ongoing public service announcement through television and radio is one of the best ways to reach the most people. Public service announcements offer information and resources available to
citizens for assistance with a feral cat problem. 

Electronic boundary fence dont impair quality of life of cats

Kasbaoui, N., Cooper, J., Mills, D. S., & Burman, O. (2016). Effects of long-term exposure to an electronic containment system on the behaviour and welfare of domestic cats. PloS one, 11(9), e0162073.
Free-roaming cats are exposed to a variety of risks, including involvement in road traffic accidents. One way of mitigating these risks is to contain cats, for example using an electronic boundary fence system that delivers an electric ‘correction’ via a collar if a cat ignores a warning cue and attempts to cross the boundary. However, concerns have been expressed over the welfare impact of such systems. Our aim was to determine if long-term exposure to an electronic containment system was associated with reduced cat welfare. We compared 46 owned domestic cats: 23 cats that had been contained by an electronic containment system for more than 12 months (AF group); and 23 cats with no containment system that were able to roam more widely (C group). We assessed the cats’ behavioural responses and welfare via four behavioural tests (unfamiliar person test; novel object test; sudden noise test; cognitive bias test) and an owner questionnaire. In the unfamiliar person test, C group lip-licked more than the AF group, whilst the AF group looked at, explored and interacted more with the unfamiliar person than C group. In the novel object test, the AF group looked at and explored the object more than C group. No significant differences were found between AF and C groups for the sudden noise or cognitive bias tests. Regarding the questionnaire, C group owners thought their cats showed more irritable behaviour and AF owners thought that their cats toileted inappropriately more often than C owners. Overall, AF cats were less neophobic than C cats and there was no evidence of significant differences between the populations in general affective state. These findings indicate that an electronic boundary fence with clear pre-warning cues does not impair the long term quality of life of cats.

Domestic dogs in protected areas: a threat to Brazilian mammals?

Lessa, I., Guimarães, T. C. S., de Godoy Bergallo, H., Cunha, A., & Vieira, E. (2016). Domestic dogs in protected areas: a threat to Brazilian mammals?.Natureza & Conservação.

The presence of domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) in Brazilian protected areas is fairly frequent. The interaction of such dogs with native animals leads to population declines for many species, particularly carnivores. In this paper the main threats dogs bring about Brazilian biodiversity are assessed with a focus on protected areas. We collected information from papers on the interaction of dogs and wildlife species as well as from interviews with National Park managers. Studies in protected areas in Brazil listed 37 native species affected by the presence of dogs due to competition, predation, or pathogen transmission. Among the 69 threatened species of the Brazilian fauna, 55% have been cited in studies on dogs. Dog occurrence was assessed for 31 National Parks in Brazil. 

(A) Domestic dog sniffing a prey (Dasypus novemcinctus) in the Ilha Grande State Park. (B) A female dog with territorial marking behavior registered by a camera trap in the same Park; the dog was 3 km away from the nearest village. Photos: H.G. Bergallo and I.C.M. Lessa.

The presence of human residents and hunters in protected areas were the factors most often quoted as facilitating dog occurrence. These may be feral, street or domestically owned dogs found in protected areas in urban, rural or natural areas. Effective actions to control this invasive alien species in natural areas must consider dog dependence upon humans, pathways of entry, and the surrounding landscape and context.

Focusing on specific age classes in spay programs

Lancaster, E. P., Lenhart, S., Ojogbo, E. J., Rekant, S. I., Scott, J. R., Weimer, H., & New Jr, J. C. (2016). Modeling Interventions in the Owned Cat Population to Decrease Numbers, Knox County, TN. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 1-12.

To find management strategies for controlling the owned cat population in Knox County, TN, the authors formulated a mathematical model using biological properties of such nonhuman animals and spay actions on certain age classes. They constructed this discrete-time model to predict the future owned cat population in this county and to evaluate intervention strategies to surgically sterilize some proportion of the population. Using the predicted population size and the number of surgeries for specific scenarios, they showed that focusing on specific age classes can be an effective feature in spay programs.

The danger of pets on islands

The cat was domesticated around 9000 years ago. Since then, domestic cats have traveled with humans to almost all corners of the globe, including many remote islands where they have become feral. And this brings with it many problems. When we introduce an alien species in an ecosystem that is not adapted to this organism, it can trigger a series of problems in chain.

Hace aproximadamente 9000 años los gatos fueron domesticados. Desde entonces se han convertido en compañeros inseparables de muchos humanos, acompañándoles en sus viajes y ocupando prácticamente todos los confines del planeta. Hasta aquí, no parece que haya ningún problema… Pero, muchos de estos gatos, una vez llegan a su nuevo entorno, comienzan a competir por los recursos con otros organismos que no están preparados para defenderse de un predador tan eficiente. Y si esto ocurre en Islas, en las que la vida ha evolucionado en ausencia de estos feroces y eficientes animales, las consecuencias para los ecosistemas pueden ser dramáticas. Con este vídeo, incómodo para muchos, pretendemos llamar la atención de un problema que está afectando, ahora ya a gran escala, a la conservación de nuestra biodiversidad. No es un problema menor y por eso tenemos que implicarnos en buscar soluciones entre todos.

Pet ownership, attitude toward pets, and support for wildlife management strategies

Shuttlewood, C. Z., Greenwell, P. J., & Montrose, V. T. (2016). Pet Ownership, Attitude Toward Pets, and Support for Wildlife Management Strategies. Human Dimensions of Wildlife, 1-9.

Pet ownership affects engagement with animal-related activities and may be related to support of wildlife management. British participants (N = 220) completed an online survey providing information on pet ownership, attitudes toward pets, and support for wildlife management strategies. Within this sample, pet owners and individuals with positive attitudes toward pets were less supportive of strategies that put human needs before the needs of wildlife, more supportive of strategies attempting to avoid species extinctions, and opposed to strategies requiring compromises of individual species. Pet owners’ affectionate attitudes toward animals and opposition to their exploitation may be important in dictating attitudes toward wildlife. Conservation planners could apply these findings when seeking support for management strategies that constrain freedoms of pets and wildlife. Utilizing the sympathetic attitudes of pet owners toward animals by focusing on welfare and survival benefits for wildlife species may help foster support for management strategies.

Pet cat management practices among owners

Howell, T. J., Mornement, K., & Bennett, P. C. (2015). Pet cat management practices among a representative sample of owners in Victoria, Australia. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research.

Although cats are commonly kept as pets, the extent to which they experience optimal welfare is not well researched. Owner management practices are likely to affect the welfare outcomes of pet cats. The aim of this study was to determine different ways in which pet cat owners attempt to meet their cat's environmental, diet and exercise, behavioral, social, and health needs, using a representative sample of owners in Victoria, Australia. A sample of 488 Victorian pet cat owners (40.0% male), representing 611,000 households, completed an online survey detailing their cat management practices. Descriptive data were used to understand trends in pet keeping practices, and correlations established relationships between demographic variables and pet practices. Our results suggest that Victorians are mostly effectively managing their pet cats, but some common practices could adversely affect pet cat welfare. Nearly half (49%) of all owners reported that their cat roams freely outdoors, which could result in injuries to the cat. Furthermore, 39% of owners indicated that their cat is moderately supervised, not very well supervised, or not supervised at all, during interactions with children. This could result in injuries to the cat through rough play, or to the child through scratches. Female owners were more likely than male owners to rate highly on statements regarding their ability to care for their cat and their satisfaction with the cat's behavior. They also reported a lower frequency of behavioral problems, and a more recent check and/or treatment for parasites. Older owners were less likely than younger owners to have lost a pet cat that they could not find, or to leave their cat without human company for long periods. However, they were more likely to report a high frequency of behavioral problems in their cat than young owners. These data could be used to compare changing practices over time, and help determine the effectiveness, or otherwise, of educational campaigns targeted at improving pet cat welfare.

Use and perception of collars for companion cats in NZ

Harrod, M., Keown, A. J., & Farnworth, M. J. (2015). Use and perception of collars for companion cats in New Zealand. New Zealand veterinary journal, 1-4.


AIMS: To investigate the use and utility of collars for companion cats in New Zealand, and to explore public perception of collar use.

METHODS: An online questionnaire was distributed using emails and social media to members of the general public in New Zealand. The questionnaire collected details of respondents, cat ownership status, and responses to a number of questions regarding collar use in cats.

RESULTS: A total of 511 responses were collected. Of these, 393/511 (76.9%) reported owning ≥1 cat at the time of the survey, and 141/393 (35.9%) stated that ≥1 of their cats wore collars and 211/393 (53.7%) had ≥1 of their cats micro-chipped. Of the respondents with a pet cat, 351/393 (89.3%) allowed their cats some outdoor access. Respondents mainly used collars for identification and to reduce predation. Reasons for not using collars included cat intolerance of collars, repeated collar loss and concern over collar safety. Differences were found between cat owners and non-owners regarding whether they agreed that cats were important for pest control (43 vs. 25%, p<0.001); that not all cats will tolerate collars (81 vs. 64%, p<0.001); that cats should be kept indoors at night (37 vs. 58%, p<0.001); or disagreed that well fed cats will not catch birds (60 vs. 70%, p=0.04); and disagreed that a cat without a collar was likely to be a stray (85 vs. 76%, p<0.001). Respondents most trusted veterinarians and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals as sources of pet care information.

CONCLUSIONS: Collar use within this sample of cat owners in New Zealand appeared to be low, with more using microchips for identification. The majority of cat owners in this study indicated their cats had some outdoor access, with collars being used for cat identification and to reduce hunting behaviour. Significant differences existed in opinions on cat management between cat owners and non-owners in this study. It should be noted that this preliminary exploration was based on a self-selected group of respondents and so results and conclusions cannot be extrapolated to the wider population.

RELEVANCE: As the most trusted source of information about pet care, an enhanced understanding of cat ownership and management may be of use to veterinarians to promote responsible pet ownership and to develop national policies and practices to improve cat welfare.

Demography of owned dogs and cats in São Paulo State

Baquero, O. S., Chiozzotto, E. N., Garcia, R. D. C. M., Amaku, M., & Ferreira, F. (2015). Demographic characteristics of owned dogs and cats of Votorantim, São Paulo State, Brazil. Ciência Rural, (AHEAD), 00-00.

A two-stage cluster sample design was used to estimate population parameters of dogs and cats of the urban area of Votorantim, São Paulo State, Brazil, to support the planning and implementation of population management programs for companion animals. For dogs, the total and density estimates were 27,241 dogs (95% confidence interval [CI]=23,903-30,578) and 951 dogs km^-2 (95% CI=835-1,068), respectively. For cats, these estimates were 5,579 cats (95% CI=3,595-7,562) and 195 cats km^-2 (95% CI=126-264). Cost was the most prevalent reason for not sterilizing the animals (33%, 95% CI=23%-44%, Deff=6.1). The percentage of interviewees that expressed reasons for abandoning their animals was equal to 9 (95% CI=5-13, Deff=2.1). Other estimates were obtained, including indirect estimates of abandonment. The estimates associated with abandonment suggest that the prevalence of this phenomenon can significantly affect population dynamics. Distribution of dogs per household can be used to construct hypothetical populations and to validate estimation procedures. The estimates generated allow parameterizing mathematical models and constructing population management indicators

Deworming alone is not enough against Toxocariosis

Nijsse, R., Mughini-Gras, L., Wagenaar, J. A., Franssen, F., & Ploeger, H. W. (2015). Environmental contamination with Toxocara eggs: a quantitative approach to estimate the relative contributions of dogs, cats and foxes, and to assess the efficacy of advised interventions in dogs. Parasites & vectors, 8(1), 1-13.

Background
Environmental contamination with Toxocara eggs is considered the main source of human toxocariasis. The contribution of different groups of hosts to this contamination is largely unknown. Current deworming advices focus mainly on dogs. However, controversy exists about blind deworming regimens for >6-month-old dogs, as most of them do not actually shed Toxocara eggs. We aim to estimate the contribution of different non-juvenile hosts to the environmental Toxocara egg contamination and to assess the effects of different Toxocara-reducing interventions for dogs.

Methods
A stochastic model was developed to quantify the relative contribution to the environmental contamination with Toxocara eggs of household dogs, household cats, stray cats, and foxes, all older than 6 months in areas with varying urbanization degrees. The model was built upon an existing model developed by Morgan et al. (2013). We used both original and published data on host density, prevalence and intensity of infection, coprophagic behaviour, faeces disposal by owners, and cats’ outdoor access. Scenario analyses were performed to assess the expected reduction in dogs’ egg output according to different deworming regimens and faeces clean-up compliances. Estimates referred to the Netherlands, a country free of stray dogs.

Results
Household dogs accounted for 39 % of the overall egg output of >6-month-old hosts in the Netherlands, followed by stray cats (27 %), household cats (19 %), and foxes (15 %). In urban areas, egg output was dominated by stray cats (81 %). Intervention scenarios revealed that only with a high compliance (90 %) to the four times a year deworming advice, dogs’ contribution would drop from 39 to 28 %. Alternatively, when 50 % of owners would always remove their dogs’ faeces, dogs’ contribution would drop to 20 %.

Conclusion
Among final hosts of Toxocara older than 6 months, dogs are the main contributors to the environmental egg contamination, though cats in total (i.e. both owned and stray) transcend this contribution. A higher than expected compliance to deworming advice is necessary to reduce dogs’ egg output meaningfully. Actions focusing solely on household dogs and cats are unlikely to sufficiently reduce environmental contamination with eggs, as stray cats and foxes are also important contributors.

7 (more) kiwis dead by dogs

Dog attacks kill 7 kiwi in Kerikeri

Fatal Northland dog attacks on kiwi have left seven birds dead over the last two months. (continue reading on http://www.stuff.co.nz/)

Stray dogs and cats: Ethical Conflicts of Modern Society

Levrini, G. R. (2015). Cães e Gatos Abandonados: conflitos éticos da sociedade moderna. Revista de Educomunicação Ambiental, 5(1), 23-51.

Na história da humanidade, certas práticas são aceitas com normalidade pela sociedade. Tempos depois, as mesmas passam a ser proibidas pelas autoridades devido às reivindicações e mudanças da própria sociedade. Neste estudo focamos os conflitos existentes que a sociedade atual discute em torno da problemática de cães e gatos abandonados, que se tornou um verdadeiro paradigma moral. Busca-se uma abordagem pouco explorada, diferente da discussão atual do uso destes animais como cobaias, ou da abordagem jurídica dos direitos dos animais. Esta pesquisa objetiva entender como se confrontam os princípios éticos da sociedade diante da condição de abandono destes animais. A fundamentação teórica baseou-se nas principais teorias da ética que abordam o assunto, para entender como este paradigma se relaciona com os diferentes atores da sociedade, suas mudanças e conflitos sociais existentes e de como historicamente, alguns dos principais filósofos se posicionaram frente ao tema abordado. A pesquisa foi realizada de forma qualitativa exploratória com 28 entrevistas com indivíduos experts no assunto ou relacionados profundamente com o tema. Estes depoimentos contraditórios sugerem que a sociedade está enfrentando um processo acelerado de reformulação dos valores morais, que modifica atitudes e provoca ações de ajuste nos processos legais.


In the history of humanity, certain practices are accepted as normal by society. Later, the authorities, due to the demands and changes of society itself, prohibit the same practices. This research focus on the moral current society paradigm that discusses around the problem of stray dogs and cats. It explores differently the debate of the use of these animals as guinea pigs for medicine purposes, or on animal rights legislation. It faces an everyday theme, always in a permanent state of contradiction.

This research aims to understand the confronting ethical principles of society with the state of abandonment of these animals. Thus, we also seek theoretical foundation in the major theories of ethics that address the subject in different ways in order to understand this paradigm, and how historically, some of the major philosophers positioned forward the topic addressed. The research was designed as a qualitative exploratory study, utilizing content analysis, in a sample of 28 in deep interviews with experts and individuals related with the theme. These contradictory statements suggest that society is experiencing an accelerated process of reformulation of moral values ​​, with implications and changes in legal regulations.

Owners attitude towards cat predation on wildlife

MacDonald, E., T. Milfont and M. Gavin, 2015.What drives cat-owner behaviour? First steps towards limiting domestic-cat impacts on native wildlife. Wildlife Research - http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/WR14164
Context: Cats can have substantial negative impacts on native wildlife. To harness the collective conservation impact of owners keeping cats inside, advocacy campaigns need to be based on empirical evidence regarding potential drivers to change cat-owner behaviour.

Aims: We assessed the degree to which different socio-psychological factors (attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control), past cat owner behaviour, demographics and group membership explained intentions of zoo visitors to bring cats inside.

Methods: A self-report questionnaire was distributed to zoo visitors based on the theory of planned behaviour. Visitors rated 24 belief statements and four behavioural-intention questions on a scale of one to seven. We adopted an information-theoretic approach to make inferences about the drivers of intention to bring cats inside.

Key results: Attitude and normative beliefs were strong predictors of intention. Specifically, attitudinal beliefs focussed on the benefits to the cat of being inside or the positive impact on the owner were correlated with intention. Bringing cats inside for the benefit of native species was weakly correlated with intention. We found an interaction between normative beliefs (injunctive and descriptive) and past behaviour. For respondents who were intermittently bringing their cat inside, veterinarians were a key injunctive normative influence. In contrast, respondents who kept their cat outside exclusively rated descriptive norms as influential on their own behaviour.

Conclusions: Our results indicated a way forward for future advocacy campaigns. To increase the frequency of visitors bringing cats inside, future research should look at campaigns using veterinarians to advocate messages that emphasise the benefits to the cat of being inside or the positive impact on the owner. To target visitors who keep their cat outside exclusively, a normative campaign highlighting the actions of others bringing their cats inside at night may prove successful.

Implications: Given the impacts cats have on wildlife, conservation campaigns need to properly design communication campaigns to have the best chance at altering cat-owner behaviour. Our results can help guide this process.

Street dog population survey in a valley in Nepal

Acharya, M., & Dhakal, S. (2015). Survey on Street Dog Population in Pokhara Valley of Nepal. Bangladesh Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 13(1), 65-70.

A survey was carried out to determine the population of street dogs and people’s opinion about their persistence in Pokhara Valley, Nepal. Information of street dog population was necessary to construct a future animal birth control (ABC) plans. For this, mark-resight survey method was used. Further, local residents were interviewed to know their opinion about the persistence of street dog population in that area. Among total 1767 dogs, 1072 (60.66%) were male, 641 (36.28%) were female and 54 (3.06%) were puppies. About 367 (57.25%) of the female street dogs were already spayed. A total of 371 local residents were interviewed to know their opinion about the causes of persistent street dogs in Pokhara Valley. Numerous reasons were put forward including unmanaged slaughter house (24.5%), abandoned due to disease (15.4%) and abandoned due to unmanageable estrus behavior (10.2%). Future ABC programs may need to consider these factors responsible for maintaining persistent street dog population, to enable control over street dog population in an efficient and sustainable manner. 

Cat owners' perception of their cats' impacts on wildlife

McDonald, J. L., Maclean, M., Evans, M. R., & Hodgson, D. J. (2015). Reconciling actual and perceived rates of predation by domestic cats. Ecology and Evolution.

The predation of wildlife by domestic cats (Felis catus) is a complex problem: Cats are popular companion animals in modern society but are also acknowledged predators of birds, herpetofauna, invertebrates, and small mammals. A comprehensive understanding of this conservation issue demands an understanding of both the ecological consequence of owning a domestic cat and the attitudes of cat owners. Here, we determine whether cat owners are aware of the predatory behavior of their cats, using data collected from 86 cats in two UK villages. We examine whether the amount of prey their cat returns influences the attitudes of 45 cat owners toward the broader issue of domestic cat predation. We also contribute to the wider understanding of physiological, spatial, and behavioral drivers of prey returns among cats. We find an association between actual prey returns and owner predictions at the coarse scale of predatory/nonpredatory behavior, but no correlation between the observed and predicted prey-return rates among predatory cats. Cat owners generally disagreed with the statement that cats are harmful to wildlife, and disfavored all mitigation options apart from neutering. These attitudes were uncorrelated with the predatory behavior of their cats. Cat owners failed to perceive the magnitude of their cats' impacts on wildlife and were not influenced by ecological information. Management options for the mitigation of cat predation appear unlikely to work if they focus on “predation awareness” campaigns or restrictions of cat freedom.

Epidemiology of Dog and Cat Abandonment in Spain

Fatjó, J., Bowen, J., García, E., Calvo, P., Rueda, S., Amblás, S., & Lalanza, J. F. (2015). Epidemiology of Dog and Cat Abandonment in Spain (2008–2013). Animals, 5(2), 426-441.

Millions of pets are abandoned worldwide every year, which is an important animal welfare and financial problem. This paper was divided into three studies. Our first two studies were designed as a national survey of animal shelters to profile the population of stray dogs and cats, as well as to gather information on both relinquishment and adoption. The aim of our third study was to test the impact of identification on the recovery of dogs entering animal shelters. Studies one and two indicate that more than 100,000 dogs and more than 30,000 cats enter animal shelters annually in Spain. We observed a seasonal effect in the number of admissions in cats. Two-thirds of dogs and cats entering shelters were found as strays, while the rest were relinquished directly to the shelter. Most pets admitted to animal shelters were adult, non-purebred, and without a microchip, with the majority of dogs being medium sized. Adult dogs spent significantly more time in shelters than puppies. While most animals were either adopted or recovered by their owner, a considerable percentage remained at the shelter or was euthanized. The identification of dogs with a microchip increased by 3-fold the likelihood of them being returned to the owner.

Behavioral ecology of free‐roaming/community cats

Slater, M. R. (2015). Behavioral ecology of free‐roaming/community cats. Animal Behavior for Shelter Veterinarians and Staff, Chapter 5. Pp 102-127.

Dogs in Lombok Island, Indonesia

Mustiana A, Toribio J-A, Abdurrahman M, Suadnya IW, Hernandez-Jover M, Putra AAG, et al. (2015) Owned and Unowned Dog Population Estimation, Dog Management and Dog Bites to Inform Rabies Prevention and Response on Lombok Island, Indonesia. PLoS ONE 10(5): e0124092. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0124092

Although Indonesia has been rabies-infected since at least the 1880s, some islands remain rabies-free, such as Lombok. However, due to its adjacency to rabies-infected islands such as Bali and Flores, there is considerable risk of a rabies incursion. As part of a rabies risk assessment project, surveys were conducted to estimate the size of the dog population and to describe dog management practices of households belonging to different ethnic groups. A photographic-recapture method was employed and the number of unowned dogs was estimated. A total of 400 dog owning households were interviewed, 300 at an urban site and 100 at a rural site. The majority of the interviewed households belonged to the Balinese ethnic group. Owned dogs were more likely male, and non-pedigree or local breed. These households kept their dogs either fully restricted, semi-free roaming or free-roaming but full restriction was reported only at the urban site. Dog bite cases were reported to be higher at the urban site, and commonly affected children/young adults to 20 years old and males. A higher number of unowned dogs was observed at the urban site than at the rural site. Data generated within these surveys can inform rabies risk assessment models to quantify the probability of rabies being released into Lombok and resulting in the infection of the local dog population. The information gained is critical for efforts to educate dog owners about rabies, as a component of preparedness to prevent the establishment of rabies should an incursion occur.

Owned dog and cat populations in remote Indigenous communities in Australia's Northern Territory

Burleigh, A., McMahon, S., & Kiely, S. (2015). Owned dog and cat populations in remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory: a retrospective study. Australian Veterinary Journal, 93(5), 145-150.

Objective
To determine the population of owned dogs and cats in Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory (NT), and compare the data with those for the average Australian household.

Methods
Results of 20 Indigenous community animal health programs were analysed for species present and dog and cat numbers. The female breeding and puppy populations were also identified.

Results
The average dog population density was significantly higher than the average Australian household, with an average of 24.4 dogs per 10 households, but the average cat population density was similar (3.3 cats per 10 households). Numbers of other species were not determined. The average percentage of puppies in these communities was 17.6% of the treated canine population, the average percentage of breeding canine females was 18.6% of the treated canine population, and the average percentage of breeding feline females was 19.7% of the total feline population.

Conclusions
Dog populations in NT Indigenous communities were at least 6.3-fold higher per household compared with data for the rest of Australia. Cat populations per household were similar to the overall population. Factors contributing to the relatively high dog populations in remote Indigenous communities include a lack of veterinary presence, community remoteness, poor socioeconomic factors, poor house and yard designs, cultural reasons, communal beliefs, lack of community animal management and a lack of funding. We believe that animal health programs are an important way of addressing a number of these issues. Other elements that should be addressed include improving house and yard design, increasing education regarding animal health, care and welfare, and increasing the training and presence of health and animal professionals.