Community Perceptions of Free-Roaming Dogs and Management Practices in Villages at the Periphery of a Protected Area in Bhutan

Abstract

In Bhutan, free-roaming dogs pose health hazards to human, livestock, and wildlife. Understanding the perceptions and practices of local communities regarding free-roaming dogs is important to mitigate negative impacts. A community-based study was conducted in the buffer zone of Strict Nature Reserve, western Bhutan. The study was conducted in February-October 2018 using a household questionnaire survey, 'free-listing' of dog diseases, group discussions and key-informant interviews. A total of 140 households from Katsho and Esue geogs (sub-districts) were interviewed. People classify dogs under three categories: 'Gokhi'/pet dog, 'Changkhi'/stray dog, and 'Shakhi'/feral dog. A higher proportion of rural people owned pet dogs, which were considered important to guard crops and livestock from wildlife and protect households' properties. Owning a dog also contributed significantly to the non-material well-being of the respondents, especially in the rural villages. In contrast to the perceived positive impacts of the pet dogs, 81% of the respondents considered stray and feral dogs a problem in the community. The threats were attacks/bites by free-roaming dogs to humans, livestock and also wildlife. Rabies was the most frequently (69.7%) known dog diseases with the highest rank (1.46) in the list, followed by scabies (49.5%, rank 1.52). The majority (56%) of the respondents indicated that stray and feral dogs originate from abandoned pet dogs. This study calls for a multi-sectorial/One Health

Seroprevalence and risk factors of canine distemper virus in the pet and stray dogs in Haa, western Bhutan

“…The prevalence of CDV natural infection in highdensity domestic dog populations in our study area [29] emphasizes the risk of transmission among the domestic dog population, and of spillover infection to wild carnivores populations. In a previous study [30], we demonstrated that interactions between pet dogs and wildlife in an adjacent protected area of the study site were possible (Fig. 1).…”

“…This is a concern for wildlife conservation as it poses significant transmission risks to several endangered wild canid and felid species, as observed in studies conducted elsewhere [9,31,32]. Farmers from the study site area reported observing frequent interactions between domestic dogs and wildlife, mostly at the periphery of agriculture land, and there is evidence of freeroaming dogs attacking Himalayan black bear in the study area [30].…”

“…It has been documented that a sustained dog population management and pet ownership are the only solutions to reduce dog population, which would, in turn, reduce dog-wildlife interactions and resulting pathogen transmission [18,34]. The sustained dog population management, through sterilization and waste management [23,28,30], responsible pet ownership by providing proper food, shelters and health care services are some of the strategies that can reduce dog population in the country [42,43]. The government of Bhutan has placed high priority towards dog population and waste management and approved a special flagship program in the current plan.…”

Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation Perspectives on Rez Dogs on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota, U.S.A.

“…The role of animal control/field services is to “provide a wide array of services to their communities, including saving pets in danger, protecting human health and safety, enforcing laws and ordinances, providing support and education to community members, disaster response, helping lost pets get home, and helping wildlife, livestock, and exotic animals, in addition to cats, dogs, and other pets” [ 39 ]. Free-roaming dogs fall within the purview of animal control/field services due to the ongoing discussion in the veterinary epidemiology and public health fields about the potential risk of free-roaming dogs to community health [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. This discussion includes their negative impacts on native and endemic wildlife, they are common vectors for disease transmission (rabies, parvovirus, parasites, and canine distemper virus), and can be perpetrators of aggression towards humans [ 12 , 13 ].…”

“…There is a critical need to address concerns regarding free-roaming dogs’ impact on community health and safety (e.g., dog bites, aggressive behavior, food competition or predation on native and endemic wildlife, livestock predation, and zoonotic disease) [ 2 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. Current management strategies have been limited by their inability to address the complex social, cultural, and structural factors that have informed historical and present practices related to free-roaming dogs.…”