Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA.
Integr Comp Biol. 2021 Jul 23;61(1):93-102. doi: 10.1093/icb/icab049.
The interactions of dogs and wildlife are receiving increasing attention across the globe. Evidence suggests that dogs can negatively affect wildlife in a variety of ways, including through the risk of predation, by hybridizing with other Canis species, by acting as a reservoir or vector of pathogens, and by competing with wildlife for resources. A multitude of observations and case studies for each of these interactions has led to calls to prioritize increased management of dogs, for instance, through population reduction, vaccination, movement restrictions, and enhanced care of the dogs themselves. Here, I argue that while the risks that dogs present to wildlife are real, they vary in their importance across the globe. Furthermore, often the approaches used to address these risks are championed without a full understanding of the likelihood of success given the necessary spatial scale of management, the availability of alternative management approaches, and the role dogs play in societies. For instance, culling, vaccination, and animal husbandry approaches in reducing the impacts of dogs on wildlife sometimes fail to recognize that local human populations actively recruit replacement dogs, that vaccination often fails to reach levels necessary for herd immunity, and that enhanced dog husbandry may have indirect impacts on wildlife by requiring environmentally impactful activities. I suggest there is a need for attention not only to identify the impacts of dogs but also to determine where and when such interactions with wildlife are problematic and the likelihood of success for any proposed management approach. The impacts of dogs should be mediated in a context-specific manner that accounts for factors such as the local density of dogs, the susceptibility of local wildlife populations to the risks that dog populations may represent, and the local societal norms that underpin how dogs might be managed.
狗与野生动物的相互作用正受到全球范围内越来越多的关注。有证据表明，狗可能通过多种方式对野生动物产生负面影响，包括捕食风险、与其他犬种杂交、充当病原体的储主或传播媒介，以及与野生动物争夺资源。这些相互作用中的每一种都有大量的观察和案例研究，这导致人们呼吁优先加强对狗的管理，例如通过减少数量、接种疫苗、限制行动和加强对狗的照顾。在这里，我认为虽然狗对野生动物的风险是真实存在的，但它们在全球范围内的重要性各不相同。此外，人们经常在没有充分了解管理所需的空间尺度、替代管理方法的可用性以及狗在社会中所扮演的角色的情况下，倡导使用这些方法来解决这些风险。例如，在减少狗对野生动物的影响方面，扑杀、接种疫苗和动物饲养方法有时未能认识到当地人口积极招募替代狗，疫苗接种往往未能达到群体免疫所需的水平，而加强狗的饲养可能会通过需要对环境产生影响的活动对野生动物产生间接影响。我认为，不仅需要关注狗的影响，还需要确定何时何地与野生动物的这些相互作用存在问题，以及任何拟议管理方法的成功可能性。应该根据具体情况来调解狗的影响，考虑当地狗的密度、当地野生动物种群对狗种群可能带来的风险的易感性以及支撑如何管理狗的当地社会规范等因素。
