Who let the dogs out? Exploring the spatial ecology of free‐roaming domestic dogs in western Kenya

Abstract

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Ranging patterns and factors associated with movement in free‐roaming domestic dogs in urban Malawi

“…HR50 and HR95 of 168 FRDD in seven different areas of Blantyre city, Malawi, and identified factors associated with HR size to better understand how rabies and other dog diseases can spread. Dogs in Blantyre city showed smaller roaming areas than dogs in previous studies where GPS devices were used and the BRB was the HR estimator selected(Dürr et al, 2017;Dürr & Ward, 2014;Hudson et al, 2017;Molloy et al, 2017;Muinde et al, 2021;. Our smaller HR could be partially explained by the lower Hmin used (Mean Hmin = 12.66) compared to that of the studies mentioned (Hmin = 17-20 depending on the study), as HR sizes are sensitive to Hmin value(Dürr & Ward, 2014).…”

“…Dogs in Blantyre city showed smaller roaming areas than dogs in previous studies where GPS devices were used and the BRB was the HR estimator selected (Dürr et al, 2017; Dürr & Ward, 2014; Hudson et al, 2017; Molloy et al, 2017; Muinde et al, 2021; Warembourg, Wera, et al, 2021). Our smaller HR could be partially explained by the lower Hmin used (Mean Hmin = 12.66) compared to that of the studies mentioned (Hmin = 17–20 depending on the study), as HR sizes are sensitive to Hmin value (Dürr & Ward, 2014).…”

“…There are other factors that could affect HR size that were not considered in our study, such as whether dogs were tracked on days when a market or livestock slaughter was taking place nearby. Muinde et al (2021) identified in their study in Kenya some sites that are more frequently visited by dogs, such as rubbish dumps. We could expect a similar dog roaming behavior in Blantyre city, being sites where food is available, such as markets, a point of attraction for FRDD.…”

“…There are considerable differences in the HR size estimates published and therefore, it is difficult to extrapolate the available results to a new study site. Much of this research has also analyzed whether factors such as age (Dürr et al, 2017;McDonald et al, 2020;Molloy et al, 2017;Muinde et al, 2021;Pérez et al, 2018;, sex (Dürr et al, 2017;Hudson et al, 2017;McDonald et al, 2020;Melo et al, 2020;Molloy et al, 2017;Muinde et al, 2021;Sparkes et al, 2014;Van Kesteren & Torgerson, in Blantyre city, such as designing risk-based surveillance activities or rabies vaccination campaigns targeting certain FRDD subpopulations. Our findings can also be used in rabies awareness campaigns, particularly to illustrate the close relationship between children and their dogs.…”

Molecular prevalence and risk factors associated with tick-borne pathogens in cattle in western Kenya

“…There has also been widespread detection of A. platys in apparently healthy cattle [ 33 , 55 , 64 ]. We speculate that the vector, Rhipicephalus sanguineus , may be feeding on both dogs and cattle in regions where they co-exist, such as in our study region where free-roaming dogs have been observed to frequent poorly managed SHs [ 65 ]. As a result, this dog-tick-cattle cycle can establish a transmission cycle of A. platys that can also potentially involve humans.…”