Constantly chasing dogs: assessing landholder stress from wild dog attacks on livestock using quantitative and qualitative methods

Ecker, Saan; Please, Patricia M.; Maybery, Darryl

doi:10.1080/14486563.2016.1251346

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Dingoes can have devastating impacts on livestock production (Allen and West 2013; Allen and West 2015), causing significant economic loss and stress for producers (Fleming et al 2001;Ecker et al 2017). Although there are numerous studies on factors and management interventions that may have an impact on livestock reproductive success (see McGowan et al 2014, for a review), ascertaining the success of any given management intervention can be challenging, especially in the context of dingo depredation (Appleby 2015a).…”

Section: Dingoesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pets and pests: a review of the contrasting economics and fortunes of dingoes and domestic dogs in Australia, and a proposed new funding scheme for non-lethal dingo management

Brink¹,

Purcell²,

Letnic

et al. 2019

Wildl. Res.

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Carnivore conservation and management is complex and expensive, and significant ongoing management costs may inhibit the development of new tools and any subsequent transition away from lethal control. We review and compare the economic costs and benefits of dingoes and domestic dogs in Australia and suggest that public affinity for domestic dogs may be co-opted into yielding more positive management outcomes for dingoes. Whereas Australians spend over AU$10 billion annually on purchasing and maintaining 4.2 million domestic dogs, landowners and government spend at least AU$30 million attempting to limit the density and distribution of dingoes, feral dogs, and their hybrids. These contrasting investments highlight the dual response of society towards domestic and wild members of the Canis genus. We suggest that a modest conservation levy on the sale of pet dogs or dog food, or both, could secure long-term funding to support efficacious non-lethal management of dingo impacts. A modest levy could generate AU$30 million annually, funding the development of non-lethal dingo-management tools without compromising existing management practices while new tools are investigated. Ultimately, a transition away from controlling dingoes through culling or exclusion fencing, to managing the negative impacts of dingoes could result in both more successful and sustainable management outcomes of dingoes and support the ecological, cultural and economic benefits they confer as Australia’s apex predator.

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Section: Dingoesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pets and pests: a review of the contrasting economics and fortunes of dingoes and domestic dogs in Australia, and a proposed new funding scheme for non-lethal dingo management

Brink¹,

Purcell²,

Letnic

et al. 2019

Wildl. Res.

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“…The differences in activity patterns of the sheep in this study begin to quantify the secondary impacts wild dogs can have on sheep in a rangeland grazing environment beyond the specific injury and death of individual animals. Generally, the impact of dog predation is calculated in terms of stock losses [8] or the psychological impacts to the producer [13]. However, the increase in distance travelled by animals in this study suggests that the presence of a predator may have a negative effect on the energy expenditure of animals and thus a negative impact on productivity [45].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

“…In addition to the economic and production impacts of wild dog predation, there are severe animal welfare concerns, with the likelihood of injuries sustained during these attacks remaining undetected by Animals 2022, 12, 219 2 of 11 producers for extended periods due to the extensive nature of sheep properties in Australia and infrequent monitoring [10,11]. Finally, the severity and frequency of wild dog attacks in some areas can take an emotional toll on producers and lead to social implications, such as psychological distress and financial stress [12] that are often overlooked [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensor-Based Detection of Predator Influence on Livestock: A Case Study Exploring the Impacts of Wild Dogs (Canis familiaris) on Rangeland Sheep

Trotter

Manning

2022

Animals

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In Australia, wild dogs are one of the leading causes of sheep losses. A major problem with managing wild dogs in Australia’s rangeland environments is that sheep producers are often unaware of their presence until injuries or deaths are observed. One option for earlier detection of wild dogs is on-animal sensors, such as Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking collars, to detect changes in the behaviour of sheep due to the presence of wild dogs. The current study used spatio-temporal data, derived from GPS tracking collars, deployed on sheep from a single rangeland property to determine if there were differences in the behaviour of sheep when in the presence, or absence, of a wild dog. Results indicated that the presence of a wild dog influenced the daily behaviours of sheep by increasing the daily distance travelled. Differences in sheep diurnal activity were also observed during periods where a wild dog was present or absent on the property. These results highlight the potential for on-animal sensors to be used as a monitoring tool for sheep flocks directly impacted by wild dogs, although further work is needed to determine the applicability of these results to other sheep production regions of Australia.

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“…Acknowledging that news media tend to highlight the personal impacts of traumatic events, people can feel unsafe and stressed when in public spaces because they have previously been attacked or threatened by a dog, or have witnessed a dog attack on pets or livestock [ 53 ]. Looking at wild dog attacks on livestock, in particular, the impacts on farmers are typically measured and reported in the media and scholarly literature in economic terms [ 54 ], but recent studies have documented the mental health impacts of wild dog attacks, suggesting that “critical incidents” can lead to both individual and community trauma [ 55 ]. In addition to the mental health impacts, there are financial impacts caused by wild dog attacks on livestock.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Representations of Free-Living and Unrestrained Dogs as an Emerging Public Health Issue in Australian Newspapers

Degeling

Hall

Eeden

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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That dogs can live and breed as free-living animals contributes to public health risks including zoonotic transmission, dog bites, and compromising people’s sense of safety in public spaces. In Australia, free-living dog populations are comprised of domestic dogs, dingoes, and dog–dingo hybrids, and are described using various terms (for example, stray or community), depending on social or geographic context. Urban expansion and regional migration mean that risks associated with contact between humans and free-living dogs are increasing. Public health authorities, local governments, and community organisations have called for transdisciplinary partnerships to address dog-related health risks with a sustainable long-term approach. Values pluralism and a lack of sustained community engagement in affected areas have meant that the outcome of such efforts to date has been mixed. To identify ideas in public circulation about the impact of unrestrained and free-living dogs on human health and well-being, and understand the framework through which these animals are problematised and solutions are proposed in public discourse, we systematically examined coverage of these issues in print media. Our analyses indicate that reporting in Australian newspapers tends to frame the public health impacts of free-living dogs as problems of public order requiring direct government action to re-establish control. The public health impacts of free-living dog populations in Australia have complex causes that intersect at the nexus between human and canine behaviour, agricultural and land management practices, local bylaws, and efforts to conserve ecological systems. Placing responsibility on governments limits opportunities for greater community involvement in developing integrated One Health approaches. Better-quality evidence of the impacts of dog populations on community health and well-being, and broad community support are needed to reshape public debates on animal control, which, ultimately, will promote more effective approaches to mitigate dog-related public health risks at the human–animal–environment interface.

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Constantly chasing dogs: assessing landholder stress from wild dog attacks on livestock using quantitative and qualitative methods

Cited by 11 publications

References 17 publications

Pets and pests: a review of the contrasting economics and fortunes of dingoes and domestic dogs in Australia, and a proposed new funding scheme for non-lethal dingo management

Pets and pests: a review of the contrasting economics and fortunes of dingoes and domestic dogs in Australia, and a proposed new funding scheme for non-lethal dingo management

Sensor-Based Detection of Predator Influence on Livestock: A Case Study Exploring the Impacts of Wild Dogs (Canis familiaris) on Rangeland Sheep

Representations of Free-Living and Unrestrained Dogs as an Emerging Public Health Issue in Australian Newspapers

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