Muinde Patrick, Bettridge Judy M, Sousa Filipe M, Dürr Salome, Dohoo Ian R, Berezowski John, Mutwiri Titus, Odinga Christian O, Fèvre Eric M, Falzon Laura C
International Livestock Research Institute Nairobi Kenya.
Present address: World Animal Protection Nairobi Kenya.
Ecol Evol. 2021 Mar 20;11(9):4218-4231. doi: 10.1002/ece3.7317. eCollection 2021 May.
The spatial ecology of free-roaming dogs determines their role in the transmission of zoonoses. This study describes the geographic range of and identifies sites frequently visited by free-roaming domestic dogs in western Kenya. Eight sites in Busia county, western Kenya, were selected. At each site, ten dog-keeping households were recruited, a questionnaire was administered, and a GPS logger was fixed around the neck of one dog in each household. Loggers were programmed to capture the dog's position every minute, for five consecutive days. Individual summaries of GPS recordings were produced, and the daily distance traveled was calculated. 50% and 95% utilization distribution isopleths were produced, and the area within these isopleths was extracted to estimate the size of the core and extended Home Ranges (HRs), respectively. Linear regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with the movement parameters. The centroid points of the 10, 50, and 90% isopleths were reproduced, and the corresponding sites identified on the ground. Seventy-three dogs were included in the final analyses. The median daily distance traveled was 13.5km, while the median core and extended HRs were 0.4 and 9.3 ha, respectively. Older dogs had a larger extended HR and traveled more daily, while the effect of sex on dog movement depended on their neutering status. Dogs spent most of their time at their household; other frequently visited sites included other household compounds, fields, and rubbish dumps. One of the centroids corresponded to a field located across the international Kenya-Uganda border, emphasizing the fluidity across the border in this ecosystem. Multiple dogs visited the same location, highlighting the heterogeneous contact networks between dogs, and between dogs and people. The field data presented are of value both in understanding domestic dog ecology and resource utilization, and in contextualizing infectious and parasitic disease transmission models.
自由放养犬的空间生态决定了它们在人畜共患病传播中的作用。本研究描述了肯尼亚西部自由放养家犬的地理分布范围，并确定了它们经常到访的地点。在肯尼亚西部的布西亚县选取了8个地点。在每个地点招募了10个养狗家庭，进行问卷调查，并在每个家庭的一只狗的脖子上安装了一个GPS记录仪。记录仪被设置为连续5天每分钟记录一次狗的位置。生成了GPS记录的个体摘要，并计算了每日行进距离。绘制了50%和95%利用分布等值线，并提取了这些等值线内的区域，分别估计核心活动范围和扩展活动范围（HRs）的大小。进行线性回归分析以确定与运动参数相关的因素。再现了10%、50%和90%等值线的质心点，并在实地确定了相应的地点。最终分析纳入了73只狗。每日行进距离的中位数为13.5公里，而核心活动范围和扩展活动范围的中位数分别为0.4公顷和9.3公顷。年龄较大的狗扩展活动范围更大，每日行进距离更远，而性别对狗运动的影响取决于它们的绝育状态。狗大部分时间都待在自己家中；其他经常到访的地点包括其他家庭院落、田地和垃圾场。其中一个质心点对应于肯尼亚-乌干达国际边境对面的一块田地，强调了这个生态系统中边境的流动性。多只狗到访同一地点，突出了狗之间以及狗与人之间异质的接触网络。所呈现的实地数据对于理解家犬生态和资源利用，以及将传染病和寄生虫病传播模型置于具体情境中都具有价值。
